Follow Me Down
by Nefertam
Summary: For Kyle Sanders, life just started looking up. After years of being a wallflower, Kyle scores the lead role in his school play, making him something of a local celebrity. However, things change when Kyle develops strange abilities. Taken from his home to train for a secret agency as a super soldier, Kyle might have something much worse to fear than any super villain: himself. SYOC
1. Shattered Glass, Shattered Future

"Nice rehearsal everyone! We'll meet again tomorrow night; same time, same place. Good night everyone!" Mrs. Raymond warbles.

I head to the locker room to get out of my costume. People congratulate me on my performance, pat me on the back. I thank them with a wide grin. It's good being the lead of the school play. Im finally noticed.

The locker room is empty by the time I get there, which is for the better. I'm always kind of awkward when it comes to changing, I'm a little self-conscious. Well, maybe more than a little; a lot self-conscious. It's not that I'm fat or anything, just not very confident.

When I'm finished I meet up with my friends in front of the stage, but we don't talk very long before we all have to go.

"Two nights 'till show time. How do you feel about it?" My friend Amy asks. She's my ride. Her face is framed by her pretty blonde hair. I've always had a bit of a crush on her. Who can blame me, we've spent the majority of our lives together.

"I'm not really nervous. I usually am; it's sort of weird. Maybe the nerves will hit Friday," I say with a laugh.

"Let's hope not. Wouldn't want to blow your debut as a lead on the Sparrow Falls High stage," Amy says. She tosses her wavy hair over her shoulder.

"Now that would be depressing! What would my adoring fans do without me?" I ask, feigning horror and placing a hand over my heart.

"I don't know. You're killing it out there, y'know?" Amy says, pulling keys out of her purse and unlocking her car door.

"I hope so," I mutter thoughtfully. Truth be told, I never really thought I would be cast as the lead of the play. I would have never dreamed of being noticed in any sort of way like that.

"I hate these late rehearsals though. Nine-thirty? Who thought that was a good idea?" Amy jokes.

We hop in and Amy starts the car. We zoom out of the parking lot and my heart skips a beat. I've never been too comfortable driving with my best friend. I never really knew how she got her license in the first place.

"Well, after this weekend we can go to bed at a decent time," I half-joke.

"That'll be heaven. Y'know, I–" Amy cuts off abruptly as the tires screech, then a shockwave passes through our car. I jolt forward and my head slams into the airbag. The sound of crushing metal and shattering glass creates a horrifying cacophony. Time seems to freeze and race all at once, and the sounds of destruction just fade to a muffled ringing.

I blink awake. I must have gone unconscious, but I can't seem to remember. I rub my head, but I don't seem to have any terrible injuries. Then I remember Amy. I jerk my head to my left, craning my sore neck to find her.

Amy's bloody, scarred face rests lightly on the deflated airbag on the steering wheel. The car door on her side is warped, pinning we her leg to her seat. Glass protrudes from her arms and crimson stains blossom from wounds on her chest.

"Amy!" I shout, prodding her shoulder.

I unbuckle my seat belt. Oddly, my side of the car seems mostly unscathed. My door is blown open, most likely from the force of the impact, and I have no visible cuts or scrapes.

"Amy! Are you alright? Please, just hold on!" I shout, though I know she can't be doing well.

"Help! Someone, please!"

The sirens and blue and red lights arrive only a few seconds later. A paramedic pulls me out of my seat and steers me towards an ambulance. The other paramedics roll a gurney to Amy's side, gently lifting her battered body onto the white cushion. One of the men takes her pulse. He shakes his head. They pull a white sheet up over her head, concealing her once-pretty face from view.

I don't really feel anything. The paramedics ask me questions and I answer them mechanically. I don't even really register what's being said; it could be gibberish for all I care. My eye itches, but when I put my hand to my face to rub it, I feel tears. A choking sob rises in my throat, and I shakily use me sleeve to wipe the stream from both eyes.

"Mr. Sanders?" I heard a man ask. He could have been telling me I was sprouting a second head for all the attention I was giving him.

Next thing I knew the man was patting me on the shoulder. Then I started feeling tired, very unnaturally tired. I fought to keep conscious, but darkness pressed in the corners of my vision. The last thing I saw before I went under was Amy's ambulance driving away with the sirens off.

 **Hello Fanfiction! As some of you may know, I recently uploaded an American Horror Story fic, but it didn't seem to have much interest save one reader, so I'm not quite sure what to do with it now. I am, however, starting this SYOC! I will be being highly selective with this story. I am ONLY ACCEPTING 5 SUBMISSIONS, so make your OCS AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE! I will also be expecting detailed critiques and reviews from my readers. One last quick note; I would prefer that the costumes be more like the uniforms of the heroes in the movies as opposed to comic book costumes. Without further ado, the submission form:**

 **Name:**

 **Nickname:**

 **Alias:**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Nationality/Ethnicity:**

 **Grade (if in school):**

 **Appearence (I expect this to be highly detailed):**

 **Clothing Style:**

 **Costume (in the style of the movies):**

 **Personality (also highly detailed):**

 **Powers (please be unique):**

 **Skills:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Fears:**

 **Color Associated with the Character:**

 **Symbol for Character (an object or concept that represents the OC as a whole):**

 **Hobbies:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Quirks:**

 **Other:**


	2. Questions, Answers

he pillows feel nice under my head, the blankets pulled up to my chin. It was all a bad dream, thank goodness. Just a bad dream. I bury my face in the pillows, then my eyes shoot open. The pillows smell fresh and soapy, like detergent. I haven't washed my pillows at home in weeks.

I peel the covers off of my body. I was definitely not wearing this when I fell unconscious; now I'm wearing sweat pants and a grey t-shirt. Last night I wore a hoodie and jeans. I slide my feet over the mattress onto the pristine, white-tiled floor. I am soundless as I creep on socks to the door. The room is clean, sterile white like a hospital.

Outside of my room is a carpeted hallway. Doors like the one to my room line the walls. I choose to go left down the corridor. There's a left turn up ahead, so I sneak to the corner to take look at what's up ahead.

"Mr. Sanders," someone behind me says. I recognize the voice as the one from last night.

I whip around.

"You drugged me!" I yell.

"I'd like to think of it as 'sedating'," the man says. He is tall and pale, wearing a black suit and a navy tie.

"Call it what you like, but you can't just do that to people!" I scream at him. I stop and look around. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're safe, for starters. Why don't you come with me and I can explain everything to you. You've had a rough couple of hours, so try and take it easy," the man says.

"Why should I even trust you," I mutter bitterly.

"What other choice do you have?"

I only shake my head at this. He's right, of course. There really is nothing I can do.

"You better not be lying to me," is all I can manage. It's a weak threat.

"I think it is in both of our best interests if we remain completely candid with one another," the man says with a winning smile.

He turns and motions for me to follow. I let out a sigh and trail after him. He walks at a brusque, quick pace so I have to really try and keep up.

"Now then. I might as well start at where we are. Currently, we are in the medical wing of the Department of Special Homeland and Foreign Security Building in Washington, D.C.. In actuality, this building doesn't exist. You won't find it on any map, and people will think you are crazy if you ask about it. That would be because we are several miles underground," He says stopping to make sure I'm still behind him. Up ahead a little ways is a glass door. A panel by the door glows a faint blue color. The man–who still hasn't even given me his name–walks up to the panel and places his palm on the glowing monitor.

A high beeping noise emirates from the machine, then the door swings open. The man leads the way into another hallway, but this one is populated by people in business suits and dresses, bustling by with brief cases and file-folders. The man I follow takes a sharp left to a door with another panel, and opens it like the last.

This room is darker, quieter, and much larger than the last. A large screen hangs on the far wall. Rows of desks with their own computers face it, sort of like how they always depict NASA's mission command in the movies, although this room is much more updated. Our feet make no noise on the carpeted floor as we walk through rows of desks to the large central monitor.

"This is the Hub, where we aid our field agents on missions," the man says.

"Could I just interrupt here for a second?" Without waiting for permission, I continue. "Who are you? Why am I here? I'm not a terrorist or anything. Can I just leave?" I finish with a shout.

"Are you quite done?" The man asks. I nod a little.

"My name is Mr. Ancipeson. You can call me Mr. A if you desire. That's what my students called me back when I was a teacher," Mr. A says with the wisp of a nostalgic smile. I notice that he has a faint accent that I just can't place.

"Tell me; do you wonder why you stand here unscathed while your friend, Amy, is dead?" Mr. A asks.

I consider punching him in his hooked beak-nose. The fury and grief rise in me like a fiery tide, but then it dawns on me. It was in a head-on collision. If it was fatal for Amy, it should have killed me too.

"Wha- how...?" Is all I can get out.

"You're different Kyle. You aren't like normal people; you are special."

"Special? How?"

"You have been born with abilities beyond scientific reason. You're a miracle child, a wonder of evolution," Mr. A says.

"First, I don't believe in evolution. Second, I don't get it. You're saying I have, what, super powers?" I ask, dumfounded.

"Well, so far you have exhibited the ability to project a defensive aura, a 'force-shield' if you will. Our specialists believe this is just the tip of the iceberg with you."

"A force-shield? I-I think I need to take a minute to process this," I say vaguely.

If Mr. A responds, I don't hear him. Amy is dead. I had special abilities I could have used to save her, but I saved myself. I could have saved her. I could have saved her. Why couldn't I save her?

"Here, why don't I show you others like you, to help you understand just what you will be dealing with," Mr. A says. He walks over to one of the desks and types some things into the computer.

The giant monitor flicks to life, and what appears to be some kind of advanced file system pops up. Names are listed in a long row:

Fallows, Kasper; Finch, Damien; Herydeikòva, Serik-Zauresh; Haloen, Stephen, and so on. Names that mean nothing to me, seem utterly unimportant.

Mr. A selected Serik-Zauresh's file. A frozen video popped onto the screen.

"This young lady has been training with us for a few months now. She too shows great promise. Watch," Mr. A says, inclining his head toward the screen.

As he plays the video, a girl is brought to the front of the screen. The person behind the camera introduces her as Serik-Zauresh. At first glance she is a pretty girl, though not outstandingly. She has the characteristically tragic look of most Eastern Block denizens. Her face is angular, yet beautiful in its on way.

At a closer look, her nose is slightly off, and scars mar her would-be beauty. One runs through her eyebrow, another her lips. A burn mark scorches her cheek.

At a command, she backs up, and three practice dummies can be seen behind her. Serik-Zauresh grabs a knife from the wall behind her. Then, she goes to work.

The girl bounds to life like a predatory feline, pouncing between the dummies with precise agility. Her knife glitters as she dances with inhuman speed around her targets. The video abruptly ends.

"Isn't she amazing? Quite the spectacle, huh? And her powers are some of the more mundane ones that we have worked with," Mr. A says, clearly proud of the girl.

"So you train people like her–like me–in this place?" I ask hesitantly.

"That would be correct."

"So basically you're saying I'm stuck here for a while?"

"Look Kyle. I'm not going to sugar coat this; you are a bright child and I do not wish to insult that. The government has deemed you and others like you unsafe without proper training."

"What about my parents? My friends? My entire life back home?"

"You will make new friends, a new life, here. Your parents have already consented to your studies here," Mr. A states.

My parents are okay with shipping me away from home to study in some underground government base? Thanks guys, I really appreciate that. Especially after–after watching my best friend die in front of me, while I had the power to stop it.

I sigh. "Well, I guess that just leaves one more question."

"Of course! What would those be?"

"When's dinner?"

xXxXx

Well how was that guys? You have been unofficially introduced to Serik-Zauresh Herydeikòva, submitted by Cirque de Morte! Now here's the accepted characters so far:

Guys:

-Kaishi Rokuro

Gals:

-Serik-Zauresh Herydeikòva

-Kasper Fallows

Villains:

-OPEN

-OPEN


	3. New Faces, Old Fears

Turns out dinner won't be for an hour, so Mr. A offers to show me the room I will be living in for the duration of my stay here. As we walk, he tells me about the kid I'll be sharing a room with. Im honestly not paying too much attention, though I do manage to pick up a few things. The kid's name is Kaishi. I also hear something about a metal arm, but I'm not really paying enough attention to process that.

I'm still way too shell-shocked to even begin to register what Mr. A's telling me.

Amy...

The living quarters of the base are up a few flights of stairs from the main drag. The hall here is carpeted with a soft red fabric, and pretty vintage torch-lamps provide ample lighting, spaced at various intervals between old wooden doors. The wallpaper is patterned with antique floral prints, and I have to assume this wing must be much older than the rest of the base.

"The living quarters have been here for decades, before my agency occupied these grounds. It was originally part of an old hotel. We've since renovated, of course. I believe you will find it to your liking," Mr. A says before stopping in front of a dark wooden door.

"So are we above ground now then?" I ask.

"Not quite. Close though." Mr. A replies, opening the door and motioning for me to step inside.

The room itself is sparsely decorated; furnished with two wood-farmed beds with simple quilts, as well as two lamps on matching tables. A fan spins lazily on the ceiling, generating a cool breeze.

"Kaishi's bed is on the left," Mr. A motions to it, "and yours is on the right. You're clothing and personal belongings will all be stored in plastic bins under your bed."

I walk over to my bed and sit down. The springs of the mattress groan under my weight.

"Would you like to see the training facility, or would you like to rest here for a while?" Mr. A asks.

"I'll stay here," I reply distantly. I feel like I'm in some kind of nightmare, screaming at myself to wake up, yet unable to.

"Very well. I shall send Kaishi to retrieve you when dinner is ready."

Mr. A turns to leave, closing the door behind him.

I lay back on the bed, hugging my arms tight around myself. Superpowers? A secret agency? Amy's death...

It's just too much. For once in my life, I was noticed. The star of the school play for God's sake! That seems so silly now. My best friend is dead. Gone. Deceased.

And I'm still here.

When my roommate shows up to call me to dinner, I'm still lying on my bed, staring blankly at a water stain on the ceiling. It takes me a few seconds to register that anyone even entered the bedroom, much less that he actually said something.

"Huh?" I say dumbly, sitting up on the edge of my bed.

"I said dinner is ready," the clearly Asian boy says. He can't be much older than me, but he's powerfully built and really tall, which makes him sort of intimidating.

"Yeah, ok. I'll be down in a minute," I respond distantly, before I realize that I have no clue where dinner actually is. "Scratch that; I don't know where I'm going."

"Follow me," the boy says before leaving the room.

I don't have much of a choice but to follow him, the rumbling in my stomach all the incentive I need.

"I'm Kyle," I say as I catch up to the boy.

"Kaishi," he says. So he's not much of a talker; which is further proven by the awkward silence after his introduction.

"So... you been here long?" I ask to defray the tension.

"Four years. I was thirteen when I came here from Japan," Kaishi says.

We turn down another hallway connecting to a flight of steel stairs. When I look over the rail, I can hardly see the bottom.

"Don't you guys have elevators or something? This looks like it would be crazy to run up and down everyday."

Kaishi stops and gives me a hard, calculating stare. "We have elevators. I prefer stairs."

"Ok..." I mutter under my breath as Kaishi continues speed walking down the steps. I pant a little trying to keep up.

We walk the rest of the way down the expansive staircase in silence. We don't stop quite at the bottom. Instead we take a door on a small landing about fifty feet from the actual ground.

I can smell some sort of meal cooking as soon as Kaishi opens the door.

"Is the food here good?" I ask.

"You ask too many questions," Kaishi responds.

I stare indignantly at the back of his head and sigh.

There's steel double doors ahead of us with two little windows implanted in the middle of each side. I can see rows of tables lined with long plastic benches. Hardly and of the tables are occupied, save for a small cluster in the back.

The occupants of the seats are young adults mostly. The older looking ones are dressed in official looking suits or scrubs, like scientists or doctors. Others, the younger ones, are in civilian clothes. Kaishi walks up to a counter in the back of the room that separates the cafeteria from the kitchen. On the counter is laid various food items. Kaishi grabs a tray and a plate.

"Well? Are you eating or not?" He asks turning to me.

I nod and get my own tray. Then I walk down the counter and load my plate with food. Kaishi doesn't wait for me to finish, but sits down at one of the tables with the younger looking teens.

I debate sitting at a table alone, but decide that even if I do sit alone, someone will come and sit next to me. I'm way more awkward in one-on-one conversations than with groups.

I take a seat next to Kaishi at the end of the table, leaving a generous space between myself and the boy.

As soon as I sit down, all conversation stops and I can feel about four pairs of eyes burning in my direction. To them I must be like some alien creature from the outside world.

"So your the new guy?" One of the girls at the table asks. She sweeps a tangled lock of red hair out of her face.

"Uh, yeah," I reply. "How did you know?"

"Mr. A told us a few days ago that we'd be getting a new guy," the girl replies happily.

"A few days ago? How did he know I was going to be here a few days ago?" I ask, only a little frantically. How long has this guy been following me?

"Mr. A finds all of us freaks somehow or another. He has agents everywhere, all over the world. It's a wonder he didn't find you sooner," the girl says before sweeping another strand of hair behind her ear. It falls back over her eyes as soon as she lets go of it.

"Where are my manners?" The girl says suddenly. "My name is Kasper. The brooding guy you're sitting next to is Kaishi. You probably already new that though, didn't you?" She breaks off into a nervous laugh. "He's not always so quiet. Just when he's around strangers. Isn't that right Kai? Anyways, that gorgeous and equally brooding girl over there is Serik-Zauresh, but that's a mouthful. We just call her Comrade cause she sounds Russian. She's not as talkative as Kai, but you gotta love her," Kasper says with a smirk. "There's a few more of us, but they already ate. I'm sure you'll get to meet 'em later. So, what's your name?" Kasper asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Kyle. Kyle Sanders," I respond, pushing the food around on my plate. I realize I haven't eaten a single bite.

"Welcome to our dysfunctional little family Kyle. I'm sure your gonna love it here," Kasper says, though I have a sick feeling in my gut.

I just want to go home.

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

 **Sorry for the super late update! I am so horrible with these things... Anywho, I will be re opening submissions for two more characters if any of you care to submit. I would really appreciate louder, more teenage-y characters (especially males), because as you can see, Kaishi and Serik are going to be the debby-downers haha. I love then though! Here is the official cast list:**

 **-Serik-Zauresh, submitted by Cirque de Morte**

 **-Kaishi, submitted by AsgardianGrizzly**

 **-Kasper, submitted by anim8tor**

 **-Taken**

 **-Open**

 **-Open**

 **-Kyle, my OC**

 **Well, now that that is out of the way, I would appreciate if you guys could review, although I will never, ever, force my readers to review. If you are reviewing, I love constructive criticism so I can improve my writing. I am really going to be making an effort to write longer chapters, as well as to update every few days, so keep an eye out for more of this story, as I will be writing like a maniac haha. Thanks!**


	4. Nightmares, Daydreams

"You let me die. You could have saved me, but you saved yourself. You're sick and selfish."

"I didn't know! Don't you think that if I knew I could save you I would?"

"Shut up! You're pathetic."

Amy stands with her back to me, her body wracked by horrible tremors. She glides away from me without a word and out the bedroom door. I follow her into the dark hallway of the living quarters. She turns a corner, and I have to run to catch up.

"Wait!" I whisper after her.

Up ahead, she slips out another door into a dark room.

I run after her desperately.

"Amy! Hold up!"

Any stands once again with we back to me, her shoulders shuddering as she softly cries. She stops when she hears the door close behind me. I creep towards her.

Suddenly, she whips around to stare at me. Her face is bloody, slashed by broken glass. Similar cuts mark her arms and legs. Blood and dirt stain her white sundress.

"You did this to me!" She shrieks.

I let out a yelp and start falling forwards, losing my balance. Before I can fall, a cold claw grasps my arm with feral strength. The lights flick on, and I see that I am perilously perched on the railing of the staircase. I am leaning over the deadly drop to the bottom, held in place only by the metal talon that grabs my arm.

"Help," I manage to squeak out in a strangled voice.

I am pulled back over the rail and dumped unceremoniously on the landing. I turn around to thank my savior. Before I can get out a word however, I am startled out of my thoughts. Kaishi stands scowling at me, arms crossed over his bare chest. One of his "arms", however, is made entirely of some kind of metal. It is attached around his chest area, covering a potion of his muscular upper body.

"I, uh... Thanks. For saving me," I stammer, tearing my eyes away from Kaishi's robotic prosthetic.

"What do you think you were doing?" Kaishi asks. He glares at me harder. He must have noticed me staring.

"I– I don't really know. I thought I saw Am– uh, someone... I had no idea that I was even in here."

"Watch yourself. Next time you try and pull a stunt like that, I might not be here to save you," Kaishi says. "And they tell me I'm blind!" He exclaims before stalking back out the metal door. He lets it slam behind him.

I stare after him, my heart still pounding from my near-death experience.

 _I thought I saw Amy_ , I think to myself.

* * *

"So before we start, which rooms have you actually seen already?" Kasper asks. Her messy red hair is tied back in a fluffy ponytail. For the first time I notice that she is actually really pretty, in her own special way, with her olive skin tone and round face; tousled hair and grey eyes.

"I've seen the the bedrooms, the cafeteria, and that room with the big tv," I say distractedly. I'm still shook up from last night. It's been on my mind all morning.

"The big tv? Oh, you mean the Hub? Yeah, that room is pretty important. You haven't seen the gym yet, have you?" Kasper asks.

"No, not yet. Why do you look like you are going to enjoy this way more than I am?" I ask, noticing Kasper's manic grin.

"Because I am. Let's go. We might catch my boyfriend if we hurry up."

Kasper swings her legs off the bench at the breakfast table, then picks up her tray.

"Come on, slow poke! We haven't got all day," she says with mock annoyance.

Well at least she doesn't already hate my guts. I grab my food tray and drop it in a bin with my dirty dishes. Then I scurry off after Kasper, who is already halfway out the door.

As we practically race through the halls of the underground base, I come to the same realization as yesterday: all of the workers look young and healthy in their suits or skirts. Not a single one looks like they could be a day over thirty. I decide to ask Kasper about it.

"They're agents, mostly. A lot of them work in the field, so they obviously have to be young and healthy for that kind of job," Kasper replies as we weave around the crowd of agents past offices, closed black doors, and even more hallways.

"Do you ever have to, y'know, work in the field?" I ask, more than slightly intrigued.

"That's what Mr. A is training us for, although it seems like he's waiting for something... Or someone. Maybe after you're all trained up, we can finally go on a mission," Kasper explains. "Oh, here we are! See those doors up there?" She points to a set of red double doors. "That's the main entrance to the gym. Guys' locker rooms are down that hallway," she nods her head to the left, "and girls are down the opposite one. So, you bring a change of clothes?"

"Was I supposed to?" I ask. I wasn't really aware that I would be starting training today, as Kasper seems to be insinuating. Her grey eyes glitter with amusement.

"I'm only messing with you. I made sure they had a change of clothes in there this morning just in case, so if they have your locker in there already, you should be good to go."

I sigh internally and trudge off to the boy's locker room. When I open the door, I am blasted by a wall of stench: old sweat, dodgeball rubber, and just plain boy. It reminds me of the locker room at school: rows of steel lockers lined with wooden benches. The walls are comprised of concrete blocks painted white, although the color has faded with age. I head to the first row of lockers. Each one has a little placard on the door, showing who owns the locker. Most are scratched or rusted so much that I can barley read the owner's name.

I go down each row until I find a locker with a new label: Sanders, Kyle. There is no lock on the door, so I just pull open the latch. Inside is a red sports shirt and some shorts, as well as running shoes. I change into the athletic wear as quickly as possible so I don't keep Kasper waiting. Then I shove my old clothes into the locker.

Shockingly the clothes fit well, too well. These guys even know my clothing sizes! That's a scary thought.

Kasper is tapping a foot impatiently just outside the boys' locker room.

"Took you long enough," she says with a giggle. "Come on, everyone is in there watching Dante and Liam spar. You haven't met either of them yet, have you?"

I shake my head no.

"Awesome! This is going to be a surprise then. Follow me," Kasper says, waving an arm for me to follow as she speeds down the hall. I rush once more to catch up. She holds the chipped gym door open for me to enter.

The gym is a massive space. The ceiling is high and crisis-crossed with steel beams and ventilation shafts. Noise bounces around and is shot throughout the giant space. The floor is mostly covered in a layer of blackish-blue rubber, although a few sections of wooden floorboards for the basketball court and, plain concrete under exercise machines, can be seen. Directly ahead of me, on a raised platform, is a stereotypical boxing ring; four corners roped off by red cords. Two boys stand on the platform, sweat glistening off their bodies in the fluorescent white light. As we approach, I can see that one of the boys, the one who faces us, is not only very thin, but also albino; his hair is a stark white; the flesh of his torso unbelievably pale, as if he had never seen the light of the day. The other boy is healthy looking in comparison; muscular and tan.

Someone blows a whistle, and they spring into action. The pale boy lunges at his opponent, swinging a gloved fist at the larger boy's face. He ducks, then throws a glancing blow at the pale boy's shoulder; who in turn is thrown off balance. The pale boy attempts to steady himself by spinning away from his attacker, but he is too slow. The larger boy sweeps the legs out from under his opponent with a low kick. The pale boy isn't down too long; he rolls backwards until he is back on his feet in a crouch. He then literally pounces on the larger boy, knocking himself and his target to the ground.

The whistle is blown again, signifying the end of the match.

"Alright you two, break it up. C'mon, break it up!" I hear Kaishi call. He lifts himself onto the platform and swings his leg up over the boundary cords. By now the tan boy has pinned his opponent to the ground, but it doesn't seem the smaller boy has given up the fight either. Kaishi lifts the larger boy off of the smaller, then shoves the two apart.

"Nice match Liam," the larger boy says, his eyes glittering with amusement. He takes off his boxing glove and extends his hand to Liam. The pale boy scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"You're just lucky I couldn't use my abilities," Liam growls, bristling with hostility. He stalks away, leaping over the cords and off the platform with feral grace.

"What's his deal?" I ask Kasper, watching Liam as he storms straight out of the gym.

"He's not really one for socialization. And that's saying something when you have people like 'Comrade' Serik-Zauresh and Kaishi around. That dude Liam hates people in general. We think he went through a lot before he got here," Kasper says shrugging. Then she perks up. "You have to meet my boyfriend! Dante! Come here!"

"What do you want, woman?" The boy calls down from the platform. He leans against the cord-fence with an easy slope to his shoulders. From this angle his dyed blue-green faux hawk is clearly visible. The sides of his head are shaved.

"This is the new guy! He's socially awkward," Kasper says.

"Am not!" I shout in defiance. I can feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"Nice to meet you, Socially Awkward. My name's Dante today. Yesterday it was Wolfe. I might change it tomorrow. Depends on what I'm feeling," the boy says, raising his arms in a lazy stretch.

"He won't tell anyone his real name," Kasper explains. " although I'm really liking 'Dante'. Has a nice medieval ring to it, don't you think?"

"How are you enjoying the place, Socially Awkward?" Dante calls from his perch, his lips curled in a mischievous smile.

"Well, I almost accidentally killed myself last night and at least one person already hates my guts, so y'know," I say, mimicking his smile.

"Who, Kaishi? He's a nice guy, once you get to know him. Don't get me wrong, his whole 'stoic samurai' gig is cool and all, but he's a softy at heart. You should see him play video games! He crushed one of my controllers with that wicked metal arm..."

"You're blabbing again, babe," Kasper says with a bemused smile.

"I can't help it!" Dante says, feigning outrage. He leaps down from the ring with feline agility. "So do you have a real name, or are we sticking with 'Socially Awkward?"

I flash an annoyed grin. "My name's Kyle."

"Oh great, another one with a 'K' name. First K-aishi, then K-asper, now K-yle," Dante explains, putting so much emphasis on the 'K' sounds that he accidentally spits on Kasper's face. She wipes the droplets off with disgust.

"So what do you do Kyle?" Dante asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"I play a little soccer, sing sometimes, the school plays—"

"Not like that," Dante cuts in. "What do you do? Like, freaky stuff. Supernatural stuff."

I remember last night's nightmare with disturbing clarity. _You let me die._

"I, uh, make force shields apparently," I stammer. "At least, that's what Mr. A tells me. What about you guys?"

"I shoot beams of disintegrating light and drain energy from people," Dante says with a nonchalant shrug, though his eyes betray... something. Sadness? Anger?

"I can control the gravity around a person or object, making them heavier or lighter, to the point of them floating," Kasper says.

"Well now I just look pathetic," I say with a half-hearted grin. "So what about Liam? He said something about his powers before he stomped out..."

"He was tested on a lot when he was a kid. Infused with serums and stuff, y'know? I've only seen him use his abilities once; it wasn't pretty. He turns into this giant, hulking creature with a wolf's face, feet, and claws. He gets all massive and muscular and is pretty much unstoppable. It's bad enough that Liam is such a jerk in human form, he's flat-out deadly as a wolf-beast-thing," Dante says. He gives me a minute to absorb that information.

"So... Are we training the newbie or what?" He asks Kasper, deftly changing the topic.

I can feel my pulse quickening and as a tight knot forms in the pit of my stomach. "T-training?" I stammer, only slightly nervous after watching Dante and Liam try to kill each other. I am not a big guy to begin with, and I've never had to fight anyone in my entire life. Dante would tear me apart.

"Yeah, training. Like 'learning skills to be used later in life' training?" Dante says with a wicked smile.

"But it's just my first day, and I've never fought anyone ever, and I really don't think I should, and—"

"Jeez, slow down! I'm not going to kill you! Maybe just rough you up a bit– Ow!" Dante yelps as Kasper whacks him upside the head.

"What he means to say is that while you don't have to do anything you don't want yet, you should probably at least start to learn some combat, or you'll be screwed when we meet the 'bad guys'," Kasper says with a wink.

"Uh, okay... I guess that makes sense..." I say, a little uncertain. Dante's going to break me like a twig.

Dante turns and hoists himself back up onto the platform, then motions for for me to follow. I brace my hands agains the chest-high platform, but I slip and fall back down onto my butt. Dante lets out a stifled laugh, but Kasper has the good grace to remain quite. My face burns as I mumble a little apology.

When I'm finally on the platform, Dante's face is as red as mine, though his is from chuckling to himself over my fall.

"So," Dante says, clearing his throat and letting out a final little giggle, "do you know anything about fighting?"

I shake my head.

"Boxing? Tae kwon do? Mixed martial arts? Nothing?"

"Nope. I played soccer? Oh and dodgeball! I'm good at that! Well, except for the throwing bit..." I explain, scuffing my shoe on the ground.

Dante sighs. "So you can run then? And dodge, I'm guessing. Well, that's a start." He rubs the back of his neck. "Can you throw a punch?"

"Uh. I don't think so...?" I mummer shamefully. "Should I know how to?"

Dante sighs again, shaking his head this time.

"I was an actor first in school! I told you, I have no clue how to fight," I explain again.

"Ok, well just try. I'm going to hold out my hand, and you are going to hit it as hard as you can."

Dante does as he says, holding his hands out, calloused palms facing me. I take a deep breath, close my fingers into a fist, and punch with all my might. The impact shocks through my fingers, sending tingles up my arm.

"Ouch!" I yelp, massaging my fist.

Dante lets out a short laugh. "Please tell me that didn't actually hurt, because that was the wimpiest punch I have ever been hit with in my entire life."

"Can you do any better?" I mock. Then I remember who I'm talking to. "Oh, yeah. You actually probably can. Well you've had more training than me!"

"That is now obvious. Ok, let's start with your stance, and we'll work our way from there."

Turns out it takes more than ten minutes for me to achieve the 'proper punching stance,' as Dante puts it. Even then, he calls my posture sloppy. He's obviously fed up with my lack of skills by the time we actually get to the punch, but he tries to hide it as best he can. I appreciate him for that, especially since I've apologized at least twenty times by now. It's a bad habit I picked up sometime in middle school. You get bumped into? Say sorry and keep your head down. In someone's way? Apologize and move.

"Ok, so your arm needs to be level with your shoulders. No, that's too low. There you go, you're getting the hang of it," Dante remarks. "So when you hit, you're going to want to punch with you're knuckles. If you don't, you'll probably break your hand. You don't want to break your hand. Oh, and when you make a fist, make sure you don't tuck your thumb into your palm. You'll break that too."

I do everything he says as best I can, but it's a lot to remember. "Why am I learning to hit, anyways? Won't the bad guys have guns or something? I mean it is the twenty-first century."

Dante mulls the question over for a bit. "I mean, I guess so. Some of us can take a bullet, like Liam. Others will probably be given guns. I've only been on a few excursions, and I've always had at least a pistol, but normally we are performing more covert missions, especially since we are only a bunch of kids."

"Aren't there any adults with superpowers?" I ask. I mean, it can't just be the kids with the cool abilities, can it?

"Oh there are. They just don't work here with us. The government has a separate chapter for them. W.A.L.L. or something like that. What do they call it babe?" Dante calls over to Kasper, who has been watching the practice. Or rather who has been watching her buff shirtless boyfriend practice. Either way.

"Oh, you mean S.H.I.E.L.D? Yeah, we don't work with them. They're supposed to be secret, more secret than us. Guess the Department of Special Domestic and Foreign Security is just too much of a mouthful," Kasper says.

"Yeah, guess so. Where was I? Oh yeah, we were teaching you to fight because you punch like a pansy," Dante snickers.

"I'm getting better!" I object, although even I start cracking up at that.

"Here, why don't I demonstrate a good punch for you. Hold out your hands like I did earlier. Come on, I won't hit hard," Dante urges.

I comply, even though I'm tensing for impact. I know this is going to hurt.

"Okay, here I go." Dante gets into the same position he showed me earlier, keeps his arm level with his shoulder, and punches forward. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

I open my eyes. Dante is frozen, his eyes open wide in a look of terror, slowly, ever so slowly, he drops his arms to his sides and hugs them around his chest.

"Glenn?" Dante whimpers, almost inaudibly.

"Dante? You alright?" I ask nervously, waving my hand over his eyes. He doesn't seem to notice, his eyes are drawn to something only he can see.

"Holy—" Dante screams at the top of his lungs, shaking out of control and digging his arms so tightly around his chest that he makes himself bleed.

"Hey! Hey, snap out of it!" I scream, grabbing Dante's shoulders and shaking him. It takes a few minutes, but his eyes clear up and he seems to come to.

"What the hell just happened?" I ask, my voice hysterical. I only just notice that Kasper is kneeling beside me, cradling one of her boyfriend's hands with her own.

"I think it was you," Kasper says very quietly.

It takes me a second to register what she said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Dante asks, massaging his temple with his free hand.

"Before you started flipping out, Kyle's eyes started glowing some freaky purple color. It stopped when you snapped back out of it. Whatever 'it' is. What did you see?" Kasper asks.

"I-it's not important. All you guys need to know is it was terrifying; my worst fear playing out right in front of me. If you can control an ability like that..." Dante trails off.

"I'm so sorry Dante!" I say, a tight knot in my stomach.

"No, don't be! That's the coolest power ever! As long as you don't use it on me again..."

"Just a few days ago I was a normal teen! Now I'm some force field wielding super-freak that can make people hallucinate. What the hell?" I practically shout.

"Hey, we're all on the same boat as you," Kasper says. She helps Dante to his feet. Small rivulets of dried blood stain his sides where his nails pierced skin.

"I'd say that's enough training for one day, Dante says. He's still shaking a little bit from whatever I showed him. And I'm hating myself for ruining another person's life.

Before anyone can say anything else, static breaks in from a speaker somewhere overhead. "Special Agents Surge, Risen, and Kyle Sanders are required in the Hub in fifteen minutes sharp. That is all," a voice announces over the intercom.

"Surge and Risen?" I ask as we jump off the boxing ring.

"They're our code names," Dante explains. "We got to choose them when we came here. They say it's to protect our identities while we are in the outside world. We normally choose them based on our individual abilities."

"When will I get to choose mine?" I ask.

"Probably soon. I'd get thinking about it if I were you," Kasper remarks.

Not a single one of us is expecting the explosion as it tears through the ceiling, burying us alive.

XxXxXxX

How's that for a cliffhanger? Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I really enjoyed introducing our two new characters. Now before I say anything else, I know there has been a lot of confusion over whether this story is or is not set in the Marvel universe. I have decided after much debate that it is set in the Marvel world, but the characters will have no contact or relations with the Avengers, SHIELD, or any other Marvel team/organization. That being said, I still am accepting ONE FINAL OC. This character must be a female and MUST NOT BE A BROODING/MOODY/ANTI-SOCIAL CHARACTER. Haha thank you! Please review and follow if you are liking the story so far, and don't be afraid to point out my mistakes! Thanks!


	5. Fire, Darkness

I am absolutely sure that the ceiling is going to crush us; so sure, in fact, that I let out the most feminine scream I can possibly muster. When the debris freezes just inches from squashing us to pieces, I let out a little prayer of thanksgiving. I glance over to see Kasper with both arms outstretched above her. I remember what she told me earlier about her powers. She can change the gravity around objects, and apparently that's the only thing keeping us from being crushed at the moment.

"Are your pants still dry over there?" Dante asks, a smile playing over his lips despite almost becoming a bloody pancake. His eyes betray his moment's fear however; he was just as scared as I was.

"Ha ha," I spit back at him, matching his smile. I'm just happy to be alive.

"Are you two done over there? Or would you still rather become one with the gym floor, because I can't hold this forever," Kasper says, her face red with strain.

Dante looks around. "Can you get us to the door?"

"Oh sure, not a problem babe," Kasper says. She makes a swirling motion with her her right arm, clearing a broken beam from the gym door. "Hurry!"

We all run as fast as we can for the exit. Once we are all standing in the hallway, Kasper lets the gym ceiling drop. A cloud of dirt and dust spews from the open doorway, enveloping us. I close my eyes to avoid getting detritus in them. I feel something, a splinter or shard of glass, scratch me cheek as it flies past.

"Let's move," Dante says. He grabs mine and Kasper's arms and drags us down the hallway. The fluorescent lights flicker overhead, some completely falling from the ceiling. It's a miracle the hallway is still intact. Suddenly, a loud bang blows through the hallway, and the lights go out altogether. Kasper lets out a little yelp.

"Well, now what?" I ask, Dante's hands still on my arm. "Hey, I'm feeling a little sluggish..." My words slur and my head is foggy. I can feel a dull ache throughout my entire body, and it is definitely getting hard to think straight.

"S-sorry! I can't control it sometimes. The draining. It just happens," Dante says, dropping our arms.

"Can't you make the glowy thing happen?" Kasper asks.

"The glowy thing?" I say, scoffing.

"Yeah, the glowy thing. He shoots bright lights after taking energy from people, remember?"

"Oh that glowy thing." I comprehend.

I can practically hear Dante shaking his head 'no'. "It's way too bright, and it doesn't last long enough for us to be able to see. Not to mention that I can't really control where the blast goes all that well."

"Does anyone have a cell phone on them?" I ask, checking for mine.

"Cell phones don't work so far underground. I only use mine when I'm above ground," Kasper says.

"I don't even know what happened to mine," I admit in despair.

We stand in silence, thinking for any way to get out of this mess.

"I think you just need to do it Dante," Kasper finally says. "Maybe you can start fire or something. Anything so we can just get out of here."

"I can't, Kas. I can't. If I—if I hurt you, or worse, how could I love with myself?" Dante's voice cracks with emotion. "I've hurt too many people, Kasper. I'm not going to hurt you too." I think I hear them hug or kiss, or something, so I awkwardly cough into my fist to get their attention.

"Let's just walk as far as we can down this hallway. If we don't see any light ahead, then we can plan our next course of action. Sound good?" I ask, looking around despite the fact that I can't see anything at all.

"Lead the way," Kasper replies after a few seconds. I assume they were still making out.

I walk slowly forward, keeping my arms out in front of me. Broken glass cracks under my weight, but so far we haven't run into anything too bad. After who knows how long of inching onwards into the darkness, we hear it.

Gunshots.

Up ahead I see a faint glow, coming from some open door or hallway. Not one of us speaks though; the light is in the same direction as the gunfire we just heard.

"You guys ready?" Dante whispers. Kasper murmurs something in reassurance.

I'm the first one to approach the light, so I turn around to see how close Kasper and Dante are. The poor guy bears several shallow gashes all over his shirtless torso. I feel a wave of pity, but I'm sure he'll be alright. Kasper too looks fine, save for the tangled mess of her poofy reddish hair.

It turns out the light is streaming faintly through a doorway. I turn my head around into the doorframe, revealing that this particular corridor leads to a flight of stairs; the flight of stairs I almost fell to my death down only last night. The gunshot jolts me out of my thoughts. Thankfully, it seems to be coming from several flights of stairs above us.

I put a finger to my lips and turn to face Dante and Kasper. They get the message and follow behind me as I make my way as silently as possible to the stairs. The one advantage I have over Dante at this point is that my lighter weight allows me to sneak easier and more silently, whereas the muscular boy clumsily kicks debris in his attempt at stealth.

As we climb the stairs, we hear can hear the sounds of battle getting closer and closer: glass breaking, bullets flying, and screams of pain and frustration. The door a flight of stairs above us is kicked open. A slew of curse words follow. Suddenly, loud gunfire erupts and the hallway echoes with deafening bangs. We crouch low to avoid being hit by a ricochet bullet, slowly advancing up the staircase.

"Filth," someone says above us in a thick East European accent.

"Comrade?" Kasper whispers, tilting her head up.

"Kasper? Is that you?" Serik-Zauresh calls in a quiet voice. We hear her run down the stairs, footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.

"We're down here Comrade!" Dante calls.

The foreign girl shines a flashlight down at us to get a better look at us in the faint light. I see that she holds a pistol in her other hand, although she isn't aiming at any of us.

"What the hell is happening up there?" Dante demands, running a hand through his dyed hair. "Who's attacking us?"

"Can not tell. They wear tactical masks over faces. Do you think they might be–"

"Let's not talk about that now Comrade. Do you have anything for us to defend ourselves, or should we just guard you as human meat shields? Actually, if this weren't a life or death situation, that could be kind of fun–ow!" Kasper smacks Dante's arm. "What? Too soon?"

"I have gun in backpack. I suggest person with baby skills uses that," Serik-Zauresh says, pointing at me.

"I have never fired a gun in my life!" I exclaim. I've fired a bow plenty of times, but never a gun.

"Here. Press trigger to shoot. Do not aim at comrades. Safety is off. If you shoot comrade, I shoot you," The scarred girl says.

I nod a little "Got it."

Serik-Zauresh gives me a final cold stare, then turns and heads back up the stairs. I follow behind, the others on my tail.

Serik-Zauresh stops at the door, stepping over the body of a man in tactical armor. She glances down the hallway to make sure that no hostiles are in the way, then she waves her hand for us to follow. The lights in this hallway flicker, making it difficult to see just where we are going. A few bodies litter the carpeted floor; mostly more men in the same tactical armor as the one Comrade stepped over and presumably killed.

"You took down all of these guys?" Kasper asks, astonished.

Serik-Zauresh nods, but lets out a little "shhh."

At the end of the hallway, a once-sealed door with one of those hand-scanners is blasted open. Beyond the door, the lights are all blown out.

"What's up there?" I whisper, feeling a chill up my spine.

"Do not know. Stay close," Comrade commands.

Before any of us can take another step, a spray of gunfire flashes from the exploded door. Everyone drops to the ground except for Serik-Zauresh, who dives behind an overturned table. She motions for us to join her, then fires a few shots herself. In the doorway, someone screams in anger before returning Comrade's fire. The girl lets out a string of curse words in another language. She is rewarded with a shout of agony from her enemy, who stops firing altogether. Serik-Zauresh jumps over her cover and sprints to her enemy, making sure he's dead. When she is satisfied, she waves is over, but motions for us to be quiet.

We enter a pitch-black computer lab. With the aid of Comrade's flashlight, I can see overturned desks and sparking wires galore.

The faint light from the hallway doesn't illuminate all of the debris, so I trip more than once, as do Kasper and Dante.

Serik-Zauresh creeks open the door at the far end of the room to check for more intruders. She precedes cautiously, gun out in front of her. I try to replicate her pose, making sure I don't aim at any of my friends.

We turn another corner, and Comrade lets out a grunt. She slumps down against a wall, holding her side.

"Guys, help," I say as loudly as I dare.

"What's up?" Dante asks, kneeling beside us.

"She's hurt."

"Fine. Just need to rest for second," Comrade mutters through gritted teeth.

Dante and I exchange concerned looks. "Are there first aid kits in any of the rooms?" I ask under my breath.

Dante shakes his head. "Not nearby. Our best chance is to make it down to the Hub. We have some medical supplies there so people don't have to leave the room in the middle of missions. Maybe the others will be there too. I mean, that is where we were supposed to meet before the attack."

Kasper seems to like her boyfriend's idea as she nods vigorously. Her eyes are filled with concern for her injured Comrade.

"Let's go then. I'll take one of her arms and you can take the other," I tell Dante. We hoist Serik-Zauresh up onto our shoulders, draping her arms around our necks. She grumbles in protest, but it looks like she's lost too much blood to put up a fight.

As we keep walking through the darkness, the orange flickering light of flames shine from some of the rooms and hallways ahead. If there's a fire, then we must be close to a blast site.

"There's a staircase up ahead. No one really uses it, and it's kinda hidden and abandoned, but I found it when I first came here. It lets out pretty close to the Hub. It's a straight shot after that," Dante says. His voice is rapid, but the steadiness in his eyes is reassuring. We will make it out of this.

I sigh. "It looks like that's the best shot we have. We better hurry."

The heat from the flames intensifies. Staggering down the hall forces us to move at a slower pace, but no one is willing to leave Comrade behind.

"Ok, behind that door on the left." Dante nods his head towards an older steel door with a metal knob. Kasper opens it, and all hell breaks loose.

A bullet whizzes past my ear, and I duck, bringing Serik with me. The girl groans, but says nothing. Dante, on the other hand, hisses in pain. He shouts an expletive at our attackers before rolling into an open doorway. I drag Serik-Zauresh behind an overturned filing cabinet, and pull the pistol she entrusted to me out of the waistline of my shorts. I peek above the cabinets into the darkness, but at the first sight of movement our oppressors fire.

"Stop shooting you morons!" Someone shouts from the doorway.

"Liam? Is that you?" Kasper calls. She's still hiding behind the open door of the staircase.

"Yeah. These guys thought you were more of those dudes with the masks. Idiots," Liam snarls. It's hard to see, but it looks like he's glaring at the gunman next to him.

"Well can you help us out here? Comrade's been shot. Oh and me too. Well, grazed. I'll be fine," Dante says standing up. He clutches his arm, which is bleeding, but not too badly. Kasper runs to him from her hiding place and makes sure he's ok.

Liam stalks over debris and bodies that I hadn't noticed before in the gloom. He stoops down beside me and helps me hoist Comrade back onto her feet. We half-drag her to the door, then down a flight of rusted steps that look more than slightly insecure.

"What were you doing in that doorway anyways?" Kasper asks Liam. She and Dante follow us down the stairs, close behind.

"Mr. A sent us in case we saw you or any of the other kids. He sent those two imbecile agents too. I told him I could have handled it myself..."

We walk the rest of the way in a tense silence.

The hallway off of the staircase is loaded with agents and brightly lit by harsh emergency lamps and red flares. The power must have been blasted out in this area too, which just makes the entire place look eerie

and unnatural, like some zombie-apocalypse survival shelter.

"Hey, we need a medic over here! She's bleeding bad," Dante calls, nodding to a now unconscious Serik-Zauresh.

Two agents in tactical armor take the wounded girl from us.

"Hey, thank you for that. Helping with Comrade, I mean," I say, giving Liam a small smile.

He stares me down with his pinkish eyes. "Don't ask me for any favors," he grumbles before skulking off towards the Hub.

 _Well he's a pleasant guy_.

I decide to regroup with Kasper and Dante, who are talking with one of the senior agents. They finish speaking by the time I join them, and we all agree to check in at the Hub. A makeshift shelter and infirmary take up most of the room. Desks and computers have been shoved against the walls for cots and medical equipment. Nearest to the big hanging monitor stand a cluster of armored soldiers. They appear to be listening to some young man barking out orders at his men. Comrade has already been placed on one of the nearest cots. Her shirt has been removed so that the doctors can work on her bullet wound.

When one of the medics catches sight of us, all cut and dirty as we are, he orders us to sit on one of the free cots so he can check up on us. Kasper and I only have shallow cuts and scrapes from the initial explosion, but Dante's arm is bad enough for stitches; not to mention the lacerations across his muscular back, abdomen, and chest. Kaishi joins us as soon as he sees us. He is obviously concerned for Dante and Kasper, questioning them thoroughly on their health.

"I'll be fine, Kai! No need to fret, once they get the stitches in me, I'll be good as knew," Dante reaffirms for what must be the twelfth time.

"Alright, alright. I don't like seeing any of you in pain," Kaishi admits, almost uncharacteristically.

I find it really sweet that he cares so much about his friends like this. And it makes sense, when you live in a place like this for so long without parents. Your friends become your family.

"I see you didn't even get a scratch, you lucky bastard. Didn't see any of the fighting?" Dante asks, grunting a little bit as the nurse pulls her needle through the flesh of his arm.

"I was in the Hub when the explosion hit. The bomb apparently blew the ceiling of the gym in and destroyed most of the intelligence center, almost all the way up to the ceiling," Kaishi explains.

Dante lets out a little chortle. "We know about the gym, now don't we guys?" Kasper and I share an uneasy smile, remembering our first near-death experience of many.

Outside the Hub, shouts echo through the hallway. The doors fly open and shut frantically as a soldier runs in.

"Hostiles on the move! Everyone take cover!" She screams before a bullet flies through the door and takes her in the through. She clutches her bleeding wound, dead before she hits the ground. One of the female medics shrieks, and the room is thrown into chaos. More of the soldiers move desks to form a small barricade in front of the door.

"Come on!" Dante shouts over the chaos. We run to the back of the room behind one of the computer tables, and wait for whatever is coming.

An explosion from the door way makes such a loud noise that I'm blasted deaf. When I start to regain my hearing, a heated gun fight is taking place at the barrier, and we aren't winning. The agents try their best to hold off the attackers, but they are overwhelmed in a matter of seconds.

A few of the doctors have wheeled their patients out of the room through a back door by now, but those who remain run screaming about the room trying to find cover. When the last of the defending agents is eliminated, there is an eerie silence, only broken by the moans and calls of the dead and dying. Kasper covers her ears in her hands, and Dante wraps his arms around her. We all watch the doorway with wide, terrified eyes.

 _This is it_ , I think to myself. _I'm going to die here_.

Then a strange thing happens. Someone steps over the twisted metal doors into the Hub. A young woman. A young, beautiful woman. What she says next sends a chill down my spine and unfurls an icy tension in my very core.

"Where are the children?"

 **XxXxXxXxX**

 **I just love my cliffhangers, now don't I? Haha I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will have a lot of explanation for what just happened, and I think you guys are going to like it! If you guys liked the chapter or if you think it needed work, please review. Also submissions are officially closed! Yay! Here's the cast list:**

 **-Serik-Zauresh**

 **-Kaishi**

 **-Dante**

 **-Kasper**

 **-Liam**

 **-Kyle**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Win Some, Lose Some

The Hub is dead silent. Doctors, unarmed agents, and analysts all stare at the newcomer. No one responds to her question, and for that I am thankful.

"I will not hesitate to shoot every last one of you, one by one, if you do not answer me. Where are the children?" The young woman repeats, pulling out a pistol. When still no one speaks, she aims at a nearby nurse and fires, instantaneously killing the unarmed woman. Several people cry out, and Kasper lets out a muffled whimper.

"Who's next?" The woman asks, waving her gun around.

Another silence. Right before I am sure someone else is going to get shot, Dante does the unthinkable. He stands up from his crouch in our hiding place and walks to the center of the room. Before I even know what I'm doing, I follow after him. I hear Kaishi and Kasper get up behind me. I only hope that Liam has the sense to join them.

We stand in a line, facing down the woman.

"So eager to die, are we? Mr. A picked out a suicidal bunch!" The woman laughs.

"No one else is dying today. Actually, I take that back. You are going to die today for hurting our people, then no one else is dying today," Dante spits at her in his own unique, witty way.

The woman gives a serpentine smile that sends chills up my spine. "You have fire in you! Too bad I'm going to have to crush it. Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Either you all can come with me right now, and nobody else needs to get hurt; or you can resist, in which case we will beat you into submission and kill everyone in this base. Your choice." As the woman speaks, what I am assuming are her soldiers file into the Hub behind her and aim their weapons straight at our pathetic line.

"I don't really like either of those options. Maybe if you came by and asked nicely, I would feel much more obliged to come with you, but considering you've killed so many innocent people..." Dante trails off.

"You know, I really like you kid. Brave, buff, _and_ hot; what's there for a girl not to like? It's a shame that you're going to have to watch all of your pathetic friends die around you. Fire at will," the woman commands, nodding to the masked soldiers.

The room suddenly erupts into bright light. I can feel the heat of the blast coming from my right side, from Dante. The woman appears to dodge the blast just in time, but her friends aren't so lucky. Two of the armored soldiers are directly hit. They erupt into charred flesh and boiling blood, splashing onto their allies. Those splashed by the blood scream in horror, drop their guns, and wipe themselves off. Those who aren't start firing at us. I dive behind one of the overturned steel medicine carts. The others find similar cover.

It seems that Kasper sees this chaos as an opportunity to attack. She crushes one of the men's guns with her gravity-altering powers, diminishing the weapon to scrap metal and bolts. Liam fires a few rounds from his own pistol, and he screams curses at the enemy, growing more enraged by the second.

I try to figure out my my own pistol, but remembering Comrade's instructions at a time like this is near impossible, especially with my hands shaking so badly. Instead I try to focus on my own powers. _Work! Work dammit!_ What use are powers when you can't even control when you use them?

Dante lets out another blast, but I can tell that he has lost control. Blinding yellow plasma shoots from the boy's hands without aim or accuracy, destroying anything or anyone in it's path.

More gunmen stream into the room, and I hear bullets thwack dangerously close to my hiding place.

Kaishi fires into the enemy lines with extreme precision, and I'm starting to wonder if him being blind was just some sick joke to fool the new guy. Kasper throws a few men against the wall, but she's fading fast, panting and red faced, her hair sticking out every which way.

 _Work. Shoot. Go? Fear?_ _Come on!_ I scream at myself. I'm being totally useless, and I know I need to help my new friends or we're all screwed.

Kasper lets out a blood-curdling scream. It is the most heart-wrenching, most pitiful noise I have ever heard. Dante screams after her "Kasper!"

His voice is filled with anguish.

I snap.

I stand up from my cover, and all gunfire ceases. All noise stops. All movement slows. I'm in control. The armored men scream, howl, grunt. Some claw at their helmets or masks.

"The bugs! They're inside my armor! They're in my skin!"

"M-Maria? I left you for dead..."

"Stay away from my girls! Why?"

"It _burns_!

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, _shut up_..."

As the soldiers go mad with fear, I can't help but smile. This is power.

True

Power.

I press the mental assault on the men who hurt my friends, reveling in their absolute terror, the feeling of their minds snapping under the weight of their own worst fears.

Dante is crying.

That single, silent, terrible sound pulls me out of whatever just possessed me. I slump to my knees, completely drained. My arms are shaking and my head is absolutely killing me. Something warm drips down over my mouth. I wipe it with a finger. Blood; my nose is bleeding. I can't focus on that now. Something is terribly wrong.

Dante is crying.

I make sure we aren't in immediate danger. We aren't. Most of the attacking soldiers have fled, or else are still on the ground hugging their arms to their bodies and rocking back and forth. Some whimper, some mumble over and over to themselves. Some are perfectly still, most likely dead.

I force myself to my feet despite the pain. I almost fall back over from the absolute dizziness that barrages my senses, but I make myself take a step. Then another. And another. Liam helps a few of the analysts and injured agents tie up our attackers with whatever they find lying around: belts, chords, wires. They won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Dante is kneeling with his back to me. Terrible sobs wrack his body, but his cries are breathy and silent. I don't know how I possibly heard them over the screams of my... victims.

Kaishi kneels across from his friend. He looks up at me as I approach, but his eyes don't focus on me, or anything around me. He is actually blind.

"Kasper," Kaishi mouths to me.

Then I notice her, laying between the two boys. Her hair is splayed out behind her head like a pool of blood. Dante cradles one of her arms in his lap, the other lays by her side. I don't see anything wrong with her until I'm right above her. The left side of her ribcage down to her hip has been badly seared. The flesh is red and angry, covered in blisters.

"I did this... I knew it was... going to happen. I always hurt people, always..." Dante says between sobs.

I'm choking up myself, but I try to take initiative and call some form of medical care.

"Help!" I try to call, but my voice comes out a hoarse squeak. I clear my throat and try again. "Help! Kasper's burnt badly," I force myself to scream.

The doctors seem to have their hands full, but a middle aged man in blue scrubs makes his way over to us. When he sees Kasper, he takes in a sharp breath. He calls over another nurse, and they hoist the small teen onto a gurney. Dante refuses to leave her side, despite being ordered by the doctors to leave them alone so they could operate as quickly as possible.

Once I'm certain that Kasper is in good hands, I slump down in a corner at the far end of the Hub.

What did I do? What did I do? What the hell did I just do?

How can I ever use a power like that again?

 _How can I not?_

 **XxXxXxXxX**

 **Not so much of a cliffhanger this time, but definitely not any closure! I'm sorry if my action scenes are kinda corny, but I hope this chapter was semi-decent. I feel so bad torturing Dante and Kasper like this, but I love their relationship just as much as I'm sure you guys do, so... Also, we will be learning more about Liam and Comrade in the next few chapters, as well as our mystery woman, so keep your eyes open. Again, I love reviews, and if you haven't been reviewing but you have a character in this story, I would love to hear from you (though I will never, ever, require my readers to review to have a character in my story). Also sorry for the shorter length of the chapter, but I've been working at my church's vacation Bible school... Also, while it may not always seem like it, I do have a well mapped out plan for this story, and this was in it haha. So, yeah, thanks for reading!**


	7. Recovery, Revenge Part 1

_"In this twilight our choices seal our fate."_

 _-Broken Crown, Mumford and Sons_

Kasper's hair fans out behind her on the bed. She looks pitifully small and frail. Like a child. We're all just children really, playing at being adults.

Dante sits in a chair beside Kasper's hospital bed, stroking her hand in his own. Her chest rises and falls evenly to the beat of her heart monitor. The doctors assured us that she'll be okay. I'm positive that Dante won't be.

In the days since the attack, Dante has barely eaten and hardly slept. He also hasn't left Kasper's room, not even when the doctors performed the preliminary operation. Kasper hasn't been awake since the day of the attack. The doctors say she is in some form of self-induced coma. She's been bedridden ever since.

It's a good thing the base's infirmary wasn't damaged too badly in the attack. It was spared the destruction that befell some of the other wings of the underground complex.

Reconstruction has been surprisingly quick, even with the lack of hands. The casualties of the attack ranged somewhere in the hundreds, but one of the agents I met assures me that that isn't even a fraction of the Departments full strength. However Mr. A has called back all available agents to aid in the rebuilding.

The gym was destroyed beyond repair, along with a large portion of the agents' offices. Apparently one of the vehicle hangers also flooded, which I had a hard time comprehending. The Department has a fricken underground hanger _and_ it flooded! How does that work?

Serik-Zauresh was released from the hospital yesterday, but was told to take it easy. She has been doing anything but; performing crunches, pull ups, and even some kind of dance in her room in the living quarters, which was also thankfully spared of damage.

Kaishi and I have been taking turns visiting in on Kasper and Dante, bringing him food and drinks, and giving him someone to talk to.

"Y'know, I thought that because this isn't a real hospital, the food would at least be sorta edible. I was so wrong," Dante jokes, pushing yet another barely touched meal away from himself. He has visibly lost weight in the past few days, his cheeks hollowing and his ribs more visible even under his muscle shirt. I don't have the heart to tell him that the old chef died in the attack, and meals have been makeshift at best.

"You should at least try to eat it. You need to keep up your strength for when Kasper wakes up," I say, pushing his plate back over to him.

"I'm fine, really. I'll get something to eat later," he lies. He probably knows I don't believe him, but I give a resigned nod anyways. No use arguing with him while he's like this.

"Well, if you want, Kaishi will be over with dinner at five. Please at least try to eat. You'll feel better."

Dante doesn't answer. Instead he refocuses on Kasper's face, her childish face pale compared to her healthy olive complexion.

I give the couple a long concerned look. "Hey, I'll be back later tonight to check on you, okay? Please try to eat and get some rest. I'm worried about you. Both of you."

"Alright man. See you then."

I bump into Kaishi in the hallway. His head is down as he walks.

"She looks like she's doing better," I remark. "Dante's still not eating."

"I don't blame him, with the crap their serving down there," Kaishi says, his voice the same serious tone it always carries.

"Was that a joke? I didn't know you were capable of humor Kai," I chuckle. Kaishi and I have grown closer over the past few days, especially with all the chaos around base.

"Well, don't expect too much of it. Humor throws my inner zen out of whack," the blind boy retorts.

"Hey, I'm going to go see if Comrade wants to train with me. When you get in there, try to get Dante to eat. Maybe he'll listen to you," I instruct, although I know Dante won't break his self-inflicted fast for any man.

"Alright. You know Comrade has been saying that you 'hit like baby squirrel', right?"

I let out an indignant snort. "I'm getting better! And not everyone can be mister super metallic arm. Well, I'll see you later," I say.

I'm not even halfway down the hall when Kaishi comes back out of Kasper's room, shouting for me to stop.

"She's awake!"

 **~—~—~**

"Get over here!" Kasper screams.

I giver her an evil look. "Who's going to make me?"

"Me. Or her. Either way, you're outmanned," Dante says, closing in on me from the left while Kasper comes in from the right.

"Nope. You are outmanned," Kaishi says, jumping from a nearby tree limb with Comrade close behind.

"You're still in our territory, and that means we can tag you," Kasper says, staring directly at the red flag in my hands. I stole it only a few minutes ago, right after sneaking past both Kasper and Dante. I was only discovered by luck; Kasper was following a butterfly that she found particularly interesting and happened to see me with the flag in my hands.

"You'll have to catch us first," I taunt.

"Don't over-exert yourself babe," Dante warns his girlfriend. She throws him an annoyed glance, as if he has told her this at least a thousand times, and knowing Dante, he probably has.

Before anyone can say anything else, Liam crashes through the trees, sprinting full force at Kaishi. I take the opportunity to run, leaping over tree roots and brambles as I race through the forest. Someone is hot on my tail, but I don't dare turn back. Instead, I press myself to run faster still, flying through the trees. Up ahead, I can see a large clearing, the boundary between my team's territory and my opponent's. I'm almost to the clearing, mere feet away, when I see a dark figure leap out from some bushes to my left. I'm tackled to the ground, pinned by my hands and knees. When I look up, Dante is smiling over me, and behind him, Kasper. The strong boy lifts me off the ground and snatches his team's flag from my hand. I brush dead leaves off my jeans and hoodie, following my captors to their team's jail.

Kaishi and Comrade have both also been tagged out of the game, presumably by Liam, which leaves me wondering how the scrawny albino boy did it.

"Looks like we loose," I call to Kaishi and Serik-Zauresh, who look at me with a mixture of amusement and disappointment that we lost the game.

"I have to say, I haven't played capture the flag since third grade, but that was pretty damn awesome!" Dante exclaims, patting Kaishi on the back. Even Liam looks like he had a fun time, which is saying something considering the boy's usual stormy demeanor.

"Did you all have fun?" Someone asks from the trees. As the newcomer steps into view, I can see that it is Agent Myra. She's Mr. A's personal assistant who came to the base a little over a week ago from some assignment in France. Myra doesn't wait for an answer. "Mr. A requires you all in the Hub for a debriefing. You may get cleaned up before you go, of course."

I give Dante a questioning look. He shrugs.

On the way back to base, we talk about the capture-the-flag game. While it was fun, it was more of tactical training than a game, monitored closely by special analysts to measure how we cooperate in a team setting. We played the game in the woods directly above the base. We've been allowed to train and exercise in the woods ever since the gym was demolished. After a only week of reconstruction, the base is already almost back to normal, all signs of destruction gone. Comrade suspects some sort of witchcraft was used getting the place back in order, but no one really takes her seriously. If you try to tell her otherwise, she keeps repeating, 'is true,' so no one tries to argue with her about it.

When we get to the living quarters, I grab fresh clothes and spray myself with some deodorant before heading off to the Hub. Liam and Dante beat me there, and Kaishi follows just behind me, but the girls are nowhere in sight; still prettying themselves up. Typical. Even if Serik-Zauresh acts all tough, she's just as much a girl as Kasper on the inside.

Mr. A is nowhere in sight either, but knowing the unpredictability of this man, I'm sure he isn't far.

Comrade is the first of the girls to enter the room, dressed in a black tank top and cargo pants, the dog tags I notice she always wears hanging from her neck. I wonder why it took her so long to change into that, but she's a girl, and therefore completely alien to me. Kasper enters the room only a few minutes after her friend, followed by Myra, who holds a stack of manila folders under a clipboard.

"So... nice talk everyone. I'm glad Mr. A called us to this meeting so we could sit here and stare at each other while actually waiting for Mr. A to show up..." Dante jokes, earning a snicker from Kasper and a glare from Myra.

Just then, Mr. A pushes through one of the newly repaired double doors that make up the entrance to the Hub. "Ah, good. Everyone is here. Myra, could you please pull up the file on F.E.A.R.?"

Myra nods in compliance, walking over to one computers, connecting the file to the giant monitor. A slide show of mugshots, security camera feeds, and profiles play across the screen, all under the title "F.E.A.R."

"Future Energy And Robotics, an organization that specializes in loans and technology, owning large shares of some of the most innovative companies in the world. F.E.A.R.'s assets also take more criminal endeavors. They harbor criminals and fugitives of the law, offering them positions as thugs and soldiers. In recent years, F.E.A.R. has moved their interests more towards mutants and super-powered individuals as part of their genome initiative. We are unsure of F.E.A.R.'s endgame as of now, but what we do know is that they are aligning themselves with some powerful global terrorist organizations. We also know that just over a week ago, F.E.A.R. dispatched some of their most highly trained operatives to infiltrate our base of operations, killing more than half of our own personnel in the process. We know that their objective was to capture you children."

"Now then. The woman that you confronted in this room was confirmed to be illusive F.E.A.R. agent Sabrina DeArgentine, a highly skilled intelligencer and master of espionage. She is one of the youngest agents we have encountered, at twenty-one years of age. She also possesses unique supernatural abilities, although what exactly these powers are remains a mystery."

When Mr. A is finished, we all stare at him in silence, tearing apart the information he has just given us.

"Today's capture the flag was a final assessment of your teamwork and compatibility. You have all passed. In two weeks time, you and a small squad of our most skilled assets will infiltrate the F.E.A.R. headquarters in Pennsylvania. Your mission will be to hack into their mainframe, steal integral files, and destroy the base once you are done. Our agents will know what to do with the technological bits, so all children you need to do is get them in the base, and out. This will be a covert mission, obviously, and it will require stealth, timing, and planning. This means you will be on a tight training regime for the next few weeks. Does anyone have any questions?"

Dante clears his throat. "Uh, so basically you're saying that we get to hit some bad guys and blow shit up?"

"In more vulgar terms, yes," Mr. A nods.

"I'm in," Dante says. There's a mischievous gleam in his eye that is haven't seen in a long time.

The rest of us nod or express our consent. All of us have been hurt by F.E.A.R. in one way or another. _All_ of us want revenge.

"Good. Myra will be giving you each the mission layout and any accompanying information that you will require for your tasks. You are doing a great service to this nation and to the world children. The Department expresses it's utmost gratitude at your sacrifice," Mr. A says. "Oh, and one more thing. Ms. Chase, you may enter now."

A girl steps through the doors of the Hub. Short and slender, she wears her blonde hair back in a ponytail which swings back and forth as she walks down the aisle between rows of computer desks. I turn back to my friends to see both Kaishi and Liam's jaws drop at the newcomer.

"Children, this is Miss Emmalyn Chase. She will be training with you from now on, and will accompany you on your mission. Get to know her well, as she will be a great addition to your team. You see, she carries F.E.A.R. technology in her very blood which allows her to run at speeds impossible for the normal man. She is a bit of an expert on our enemies, so utilize her knowledge while you train. If there are no more questions, then you are all dismissed."

Liam's hand shoots up. "I have a question. Is the new girl single?"

Mr. A gives Liam a mortified look before gathering his belongings. He leaves the room without another word, followed closely by Myra.

"Well, I believe introductions are in order," Dante says. "My name is Dante, and I can proudly say that every article of clothing I am wearing is stolen. The grouchy albino boy to my right is Liam. The girl giving you the death stare over there is Serik-Zauresh, but you can call her Comrade because that's so much easier. The redhead to my left is Kasper, my gorgeous girlfriend. The boy to her left is Kyle. He's socially awkward. Finally, the blind Asian boy with the metal arm is Kaishi. He doesn't like outsiders." Dante finishes with a grin, and the newcomer returns it.

"My name is Emmalyn Chase, but you can call me Emma. It's a pleasure to be working with all of you, and I hope I can be of assistance in any way possible," the girl, Emma, states.

 _It's a pleasure?_ , I mouth to Kasper, who gives me an equally confused look. Who even talks like that?

"Well then Emma, I think you are going to like it here," Dante says ominously.

 **~—~—~**

"What do you want from me?" I scream at the girl standing in front of me. She stares at the floor, her head twitching ever so slightly. Her cherry-red hair is disheveled and falls across her face so that it cannot be seen.

"What do you want?" I cry at the top of my lungs.

"You like it, don't you? The fear? The ability to make minds melt in your hands? Tell me, was it fun to make Dante scream? To make him claw at himself until he bled? I bet you loved every second of it."

"I- I don't want to hear anymore," I whimper at the girl.

"Do you think you will be able to save your friends when the bullets start to fly and their strength fails? You couldn't even save me. You saved yourself, just like you'll always save yourself first. You're a coward Kyle. And do you know what cowards do best? They run. When their friends are in need, they run. When your new friends' bodies hit the floor and they scream out in pain, you will run."

"Or you'll hurt them yourself. If you can't run, you'll make the fear go away. And you know how you'll do that too, don't you. You'll make them feel your fear, your anguish, your _terror_. What's worse Kyle? Leaving your friends to die, or killing them yourself?"

"Shut up! Shut up _Amy_!" I shriek, hugging my arms to my body.

Amy laughs a terrible laugh. Her shoulders bounce with her mirth and she throws back her head, revealing her face in the dim light. Blood trickles from countless cuts across her cheeks, cuts made from glass. Cuts that will never heal.

Then she stops. Everything is silent, still, deathly. Amy slowly tilts her head to look at me, her eyes smoldering with hate.

"What are you going to do? Run away?"

As she says that last words, her green eyes fade to a milky grey. The pale flesh of her face begins to whither and tear, showing the bones of her cheeks and eye sockets. Her hair dries and becomes brittle as hay. She stumbles towards me, and I let out the loudest, most blood-curdling cry I can muster.

The lights in the bedroom turn on, but Amy keeps lurching towards me, skeletal arms outstretched like gnarled tree limbs.

"What's wrong? Kyle, talk to me!" Kaishi commands, gripping my shoulder and shaking me vigorously.

I can't tear my eyes away from _her_.

"You can't see her?" I cry, my voice hoarse from screaming. I wipe a tear before it can make its way down my cheek.

"See who? Kyle, who's there?"

Amy is almost to my bed; I latch onto Kaishi's arm and let out another shriek. The tears flow freely.

"Kyle, look at my face. Kyle, it's ok, I don't think anyone is here. It's just a nightmare, Kyle!"

Amy leans right up behind Kaishi's ear.

" _Yeah Kyle. I'm just a nightmare_."

 **XxXxXxX**

 **I'm proud of that little ending Haha. So as you can see, there was a lot of info in that chapter, so I hope you all understood it. Next chapter we will see more of the backstory on our characters, as well as learn about our new character, Emma! She was submitted by RockAngel2642.**

 **On a side note, out of all the people involved in this story, only two are consistently reviewing the chapters (thanks you two!). While I will never require my readers to review, it makes me sad when I write stories with your OCs and receive no feedback or critiques on how I'm doing so far. Well, that's just me ranting.**

 **Finally, if you haven't, check out AsgardianGrizzly's story _Children of Hydra_. It's based off of Agents of Shield, and it is AMAZING. I highly recommend reading it! Anyways, thanks for reading! **


	8. Recovery, Revenge Part 2

_"But oh, my heart was flawed. I knew my weakness. So hold my hand, consign me not to darkness."_

 _-Broken Crown, Mumford and Sons_

"Five more."

"That's what you said five ago. My arms burn!"

"Pain is temporary–"

"Glory is forever. Yeah, yeah, well you're not... the one... doing pull ups over here..." I retort. Dante smirks at me, clearly enjoying my discomfort. The bastard.

"Lunch is in ten!" Kasper calls through the trees. The rest of the team is here in the woods too, running different exercises or practicing combat. The forest has officially become our makeshift gym.

The cool air and shade help to keep everyone energized. The dying leaves turn the landscape into a beautiful painting, reds, oranges, and browns everywhere I look. Training in autumn isn't so bad. Just a little tiring.

"Two more! Come on, you're shaking like a chihuahua," Dante snickers. I think I'm going to punch him when I'm done. Well, I would, if my arms weren't so sore from pull-ups.

"Was that so bad?" Dante asks when I'm finished. He pats my back hard, leaving a stingy feeling. I glare at him, but only for a few seconds before breaking into a playfully annoyed grin. "Let's go get lunch. I'm starving."

"I'm just glad we got a new cooking team. The stuff they were serving after the attack was crap," Dante wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"The old cooking staff died, you insensitive oaf!" Kasper calls, joining us on the dirt trail back towards the base.

"Oh. That's morbid," Dante replies.

We reach the only part of the base that sits above ground. It appears to be an abandoned warehouse, shattered windows encrusted with rust and vines growing on nearly every white-washed, dirt-stained wall. The inside isn't spectacular either. It's really just a big empty room, all concrete floors and overgrown weeds, as well as a few pieces of abandoned rusty machinery. A sign overhead points to an emergency exit, but this is an ironic cover for an elevator hidden in the old emergency staircase. Apparently there's also a larger lift somewhere in the warehouse that is used to transport vehicles from the underground hangers to the surface world. I'm still caught up over the fact that underground hangers exist, although they tell me that most of the flooding has been staunched. At this point I could believe just about anything.

We hop on the elevator in a comfortable silence. We've been training hard for the past two weeks, and I've grown close to these guys, closer than all of my friends back home. I guess that makes sense; hard times forge the strongest bonds.

The base is pretty much full to capacity nowadays. Restorations have finished on all but the gym, so that leaves a lot of agents still stuck here until they receive further assignments from the board of the Department, and more specifically from Mr. A.

As we wade through the literal tide of agents, I realize I'm a lot more energetic these days. It must be from all the exercise; in these two weeks alone I've made considerable advancements. Not that I was fat or anything before coming to the Department, but I am a lot leaner and healthier now than I've ever been in my life.

The cafeteria is just as full as the hallways outside. There are people at nearly every table, a stark contrast to the rows of empty benches when I first arrived at base. I spot Liam and Comrade at the normal spot, so after I grab some macaroni for lunch, I join them. Kasper and Dante follow, with Emma and Kaishi showing up only a few minutes later. Emma gives Liam a little wave, who in turn blushes a bright pink color, them scowls to himself.

"How's your side, babe?" Dante asks Kasper, who sits at his right.

"It's fine, just like it was fine last time you asked," Kasper says, a little too bitterly. She smiles and chuckles to soften the blow. Dante smiles back, but I can see the hurt in his eyes.

"What are you going to do on the battlefield? I mean, you are going to have to use your powers at some point," Liam asks coldly. I stare at him in shock. After what happened to Kasper, the subject of Dante's powers has been touchy, to say the least.

"Liam! That is not ok!" Comrade glares at the boy she is sitting next to.

Liam gives an innocent shrug.

"It's ok Comrade. It was a fair question," Dante says, holding up a hand to calm things down. "I plan on carrying a gun. I'm not going to hurt anyone else."

"You do realize we were brought on this team because of our powers though, don't you? You are useless without them. What's holding you back, huh? Some sad backstory that I'm sure we'd all care to hear?" Liam presses.

"What the hell man? You can't just say things like that! Lay off the poor guy!" I shout.

"Why are you so interested? I didn't see you using your powers the last time we were attacked? We could have used your wolf form then, couldn't we have?" Kasper spits.

"Guys! It's alright!" Dante silences. "Yes Liam. I do have a sad story. But it's in the past, and I don't think it matters anymore."

"We are a team, aren't we? We should be honest with each other. Whatever you are keeping from us obviously has to do with your powers, so tell us," Liam pushes, scowling at Dante.

"I-I'm kinda with Liam on this one," Kasper unexpectedly says. "I mean, we should all be honest with each other. That doesn't mean you can be an asshat," she glares at Liam,"but I think we should all come clean on our pasts so we can work towards our future. As a team. Together."

Everyone is silent, clearly reluctant to divulge personal information.

"Here," Kasper finally says,"I'll go first. I was raised by my dad because my mother left us before I knew her. I went to school until I was sixteen. A few years before that, I found out about my powers, but so did some of my old 'friends'."

"We grew further apart until they stopped talking to me. My grades dropped, and I just stopped caring. I ran away from home. I-I hated seeing my dad's face when he found out about my grades... I loved him so much, and I was letting him down. I couldn't- couldn't bear the pain of hurting him. I ran away from home. Mr. A picked me up a week or two after that, so now I'm here." Kasper finishes. There are tears in her eyes, but she smiles all the same.

"Who's next?" She asks.

Everyone looks around.

"I'll go," Kaishi says flatly. "I was born in Japan. My mother raised me alone. I could see and I didn't have this metal prosthetic. When I was thirteen, a violent gang broke into my house. They– killed my mother. They forced me to watch, the sick bastards." Kaishi stares at a spot on the table with a distant gaze.

"When they were done with her, they screwed up my eyes with some kind of chemical, and ripped off my arm as some kind of sick amusement. They thought I was dead when they left my house. I wasn't."

"Some agents from the Department brought me here. They fixed up my arm and told me I had powers. I'm blind, that's true, but I can see. Not like you all do. It's more like sensing where things are, like people or objects. Sometimes I can glimpse more, like a face or a bullet heading my way. So...yeah. Who's next?"

At this point, I'm just flat out depressed. I've lived such a comfortable life compared to these guys. Who can I even think about my own problems when these guys have been through hell and back? I brace myself for the next sad story.

"I was born albino, obviously, and I never knew my parents," Liam jumps in. "I was _rescued_ from the orphanage by a private sect of scientists, some criminal syndicate. They gave me this," Liam points to a tattoo on his right arm that I've never noticed. It's a string of numbers, some kind if serial code. "They tested on me from a young age, injecting stuff into my arms. It made me stronger, faster. But I never got any love. Not that I needed it. I'm fine on my own. Anyways, I was showing good results, so the scientists shot me up with more chemicals until they turned me into a monster. I don't care; I'm stronger than my enemies. They did me a favor in those labs. Mr. A brought me here before they could run any more tests. That's pretty much it."

"Ok... Next?" Kasper stumbles, quickly changing the topic before Liam can get too riled up. "Comrade? Why don't you go?"

"No," Serik-Zauresh refuses, shaking her head vigorously. "No. Alright, fine."

"I was born in Sokovia. I was trained in ballet and combat. I grew up with brother, and I loved him very much. I was taken from home only a few years ago. Mr. A requested I join the Departement, and father was happy to send me away to make better life for myself. That is all," the Eastern Block girl ends,with finality.

"I might as well go next," Emma says, albeit a little awkwardly. "As you guys know, I worked with F.E.A.R. for a while, testing technology. Nothing too tragic in my history. You see, I'm good at science and math, so I was a leading researcher and test subject before I found out how corrupt they were."

"Guys, I'm not sure how much more of these I can take," Kasper says. "If you heard a loud crack around Comrade's story, that was my heart breaking into pieces."

"Don't worry, it's only going to get worse from here," Dante says. "Hey, why don't you go Kyle?"

I already feel my cheeks burning. The thought of bringing up my life story...

"Uh... ok... Well, I wasn't really... Well I mean... I was an actor in high school. Not really popular... I had like two or three close friends. Oh, before I came here, I got the lead in my school play! Uh, I guess that doesn't really matter now... I mean, I was bullied a lot. And I didn't really talk. Yeah, I was kind of a loser at home. I played soccer, but I wasn't really good at it. People called me a sissy. So, yeah. Before I came here, I— there was, a uh. My friend, she..." I can feel a lump in my throat, tears blurring my vision.

"Amy?" Kaishi asks. "You yell in your sleep a lot. Did she get hurt?"

"Before I came here, Amy and I were in a car accident," I say, pushing through the tears. "The only reason I know I have powers is because I saved myself with a force shield. Amy was killed in the collision. If I knew I could have saved her... If I just could have saved her..."

Everyone is silent and I know I'm just making a fool of myself.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a sissy. Look at me, crying in front of a bunch of badasses. I don't belong here, not really. You guys are the real heroes."

"Shut up!" Dante commands, with a harshness that shocks me out of my tears. "You have every right to be on this team. Do you know how far you've come in the past few weeks alone? Can you imagine how far you can go if you keep going? You're brave; braver than you know. So stop acting like you aren't."

"T-thanks," I mutter, my cheeks burning even worse now. I don't mean to look at anyone, but when I glance up, Kasper is also crying, and Comrade and Kaishi look equally concerned. Liam looks like... Well, Liam, but I don't really expect much else.

"I guess that just leaves me then," Dante sighs. "Well. I was really nerdy in middle school. I got good grades, but I was bullied. A lot. In high school, I bulked up, joined the football team, hung out with all the cool guys. I was on top of the school. I looked good, felt good, lived like a king. I–I had a girlfriend," Dante glances at Kasper with a concerned look, but she gives a reassuring smile and nods for him to continue. "And a little brother. Anna and Glenn. Anna was a cheerleader, but she wasn't like the other girls. She was sweet and pretty. People said we were a cute couple and we had a lot of fun together. We were gonna go on vacation. All of us; my parents, Glenn, Anna. Our plane went down though. Some malfunction. My parents– they were killed on impact. Anna, Glenn, they survived. We made it out alive, but Anna never really recovered. Her head got messed up real bad, she was paralyzed and she couldn't talk without a stutter. I-I told her I'd... visit her. Everyday. But then... I didn't know that I had been taking energy from people, stealing it by touch and storing it up. My neighbor came over a little while after the accident to check up on us boys. I couldn't control myself. I fried him right in front of me, on my front porch. Well, when the cops found out, I was a wanted man. Mr. A saved me from that mess, but it wasn't until later that I found out my brother had died in his sleep the exact same night as my neighbor. I-it's painful to talk about. Knowing how many lives I've ruined... That I can't touch the people I love because I know I might kill them..." Dante chokes up and a tear-stained Kasper rubs his shoulder in comfort. By now, even Liam looks at least a little phased, and I can feel the promise of even more tears burning at the back of my throat.

We all sit in a sort of depressed silence, and I notice that we are the only people left in the cafeteria.

Kasper looks around the table, composing herself. "Do... Do you guys wanna go get ice cream?"

 **XxXxX**

 **Well how was that? Sorry for the wait, but this weekend was crazy! Hopefully I can crank out updates more quickly. So if you liked this chapter, please review above. In the next chapter we will see some more of our more silent characters before we get to the story's climax! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Anticipation, Preparation

The night air is chilly, but not unbearable. There's a full moon out tonight, bathing the dying trees in silvery light. I dig my hands into my jacket pockets for warmth. The dry leaves crackle underfoot, and the moonlight provides ample illumination to see the path ahead.

I find a nice fallen log to sit on. It's only a few feet off the trail, so I'll be able to keep my bearings when I want to leave.

I gaze up at the moon and stars. They shine brightly here, especially now that most of the trees have been stripped of their leaves. Winter is close.

Actually, it's only a few more days until Halloween. Back at home, I would have been overjoyed. Amy and I would have probably gone to some of the local haunted houses with some mutual friends. We always loved getting scared around Halloween. Now I wish I didn't have to be scared. Scared of hurting my friends, scared of letting them down. Scared that we might not come back from this mission alive.

The wind picks up a little and I hug my arms around my chest, tucking my hands under my armpits. The bare branches whisper overhead, creating a peaceful cacophony. I hardly notice I have a visitor until he is right behind me.

"Hey."

I jump in my seat and whirl my head around to look at the intruder. I let out a sigh when I realize it's Liam.

"You scared the heck out of me!" I exclaim, placing a hand over my racing heart. Liam smirks in amusement and sits down on the log beside me. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Nah. Sometimes I have too much energy to make myself fall asleep, so I just wander around the woods for hours. The base is too stuffy," Liam explains, not looking at me, but instead staring into the darkness of the woods ahead.

We sit in an awkward silence for a while after that. My cheeks burn in embarrassment; I can't think of a single thing to say. Come to think of it, I haven't spoken much to Liam since I came here.

"So, uh. You lived out there? In the real world? With a family?" Liam mumbles awkwardly. He continues to avert eye contact, and for that I am a little grateful.

"Yeah. Not that I was the most popular kid. But yeah, I lived 'out there'. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Most of the people here haven't led normal lives. I just... I wanted to know what it was like. In the real world. Y'know?" Liam's silver-white eyebrows knit together in deep thought.

"Well, I went to school," I start hesitantly.

"What do you do there? I mean, yes, I know you learn, but..." Liam trails off.

"History. Math. I hated math with a passion. I was never any good at it. English."

"Do you learn to read? I never got to."

"Yeah, sometimes. Not really in high school so much... A lot of kids pay more attention to making friends and looking good than than to getting good grades. So yeah, I wasn't exactly popular," I shrug.

"I was wondering... Uh, have you ever had a girlfriend?" Liam seems to change the subject.

"No. I was considering asking a girl out, but I never had the courage. Do– do you like Emma?" I ask, putting two and two together. I remember him blushing at her the other night.

Liam tenses and folds his hands together.

"I, uh. Well... yes. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I thought... I thought that because you've been out there more than the rest of us, you might be able to help..." He trails off.

"Ok, well why don't you just ask her out? Like on a date?"

"Does it look like I know how to do that? I don't even know where to start!" Liam throws up his arms.

"Well first you have to talk to her. Give her a compliment or ask about the weather or something. Anything to get conversation started. If you don't mind me asking, why did you come to me and not Dante? You know, the dude in an actual relationship?" I ask.

"Dante and Kasper are different. They came together out of necessity. They needed to fix each other. Emma doesn't need fixing though. She's... well, she's..." He trails off.

"I understand. Just be yourself around her and take things slow. You can't force things like this, so if it doesn't work out, don't push it."

There's a long silence, and I guess Liam is contemplating our conversation.

The wind picks up again, and dark clouds blow into view, covering the full moon. Less than a week until the mission.

–~–~–

"Today we will be working on controlling your powers. We have tried to integrate this step into your training slowly over the past few weeks, but for the next few days, we are going to really focus on your individual abilities. We will cycle through each of you in alphabetical order. When you are not training, you will be studying your ally's strengths and weaknesses so you can give him or her critique later on. Agent Spark, you will go first," Myra finishes with a nod towards Emma.

The small blonde steps away from our little huddled group. She follows Myra to the center of the clearing.

"Agent Spark, please demonstrate for the rest of your teammates your abilities. I understand you have particularly good control over your powers. You will go on my command," Myra instructs. Emma gives a small nod before dropping into a runners crouch.

"Go!"

Before I can even register what's happening, Emma is gone, disappeared into a blur. The woods in front of where she stood shake violently, as if blown by some strong wind. The next second, Emma is standing back where she started, hands on her knees and panting a little bit.

Dante is the first to vocalize his confusion. "What the heck just happened?"

"Oh, that? I ran around the perimeter of the base. I think it's about seven miles? I'll have to check that later," Emma says, regaining her composure before joining the rest of the group. I'm shocked by her nonchalance, but then again, this isn't anything any of us _should_ be shocked about. We all defy the laws of nature.

"Agent Surge, you will go next," Myra directs, straightening a minuscule ruffle her pleated skirt.

"I can't," Dante says, shrugging.

"You must. If you do not learn to control your abilities, how will you be of any use to us on the field? You were sent to this facility to control your powers. This Department failed you for two years now Dante. If we ever want to see you succeed, you will need to cast off your inhibitions and attempt to control yourself," Myra explains.

Dante sighs heavily, then steps into the middle of the clearing. "I want all of you back in the tree-line. I'm not messing around, I could kill you. Thanks," the boy commends once he sees we are all in the woods, shaded by dormant trees. "Ok, here goes nothing."

Dante tenses up, then shoots out his arm. A little spark releases from his open palm, but that's it. No destructive beam or explosive blast, just a baby spark.

"What happened?" Myra demands.

Dante shrugs. "I'm on empty."

"Well, fill up then. Or whatever you do..." Myra says, waving her hands in exasperation.

"It's not that easy. I have to take energy from a living or mechanical source. As you said, I've been living here for two years. How is it that you don't already know this about me?"

"That is irrelevant, Agent Surge. You may return to the group then until we can find a viable energy source to suit your needs. However, I will say this. Do not be afraid to take energy from defeated enemies on the battlefield," Myra clears her throat. "Agent Lycan, you will go next."

Liam looks around then reluctantly stalks into the center of the field.

"I think you will be disappointed. I can't control the other side of me. If I shift here, I will attack you."

"We have a temporary solution for that particular issue, Agent Lycan," Myra smirks and pulls out a small black box from her pocket. "This device will emit a high pitched beeping noise that will cause extreme discomfort and dizzying effects in creatures with amplified hearing. We should be able to confine you to a certain area and keep you focused with a short blast from this device. With prolonged exposure to the beeping will force you back into your human form. Well, theoretically. This is, of course, entirely conjecture," Myra says, but she looks excited nonetheless.

Liam thinks for a minute. "I don't want to rip these clothes," he finally says, though he doesn't sound very convincing. "Oh what the hell. Fine, I'll do it. But if I start eating Dante's ass, it's on you Myra."

Liam closes his eyes pinkish for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. We all hear a loud crack from the albino's direction, and when I try to run over to see if Liam needs help, Dante catches my shoulder and pulls me back.

Liam grunts and falls to his knees, his body wracked by horrific, unnatural spasms. His bones start to push out; his feet tear through his shoes, his fingers curl and uncurl, growing thinner and larger. The boy's ribcage presses against his shirt, straining the lightweight fabric. Muscle starts to swell across the Liam's once-thin frame. His shoulders bloat with sinuous strength, grotesque mounds of flesh piling up on the boy. Silver fur starts to cover his body from head to foot, and Liam lets out a howl as his face pushes out into a lupine muzzle. His ears shift to the top of his head and fangs push his human teeth out of his maw. The change slows, and finally stops. Liam, or what was Liam, stands on digitigrade paws where his feet used to be. His body is bloated with thick muscle and covered in a light sheen of silver-white fur. His face is indistinguishably wolffish in nature, almost as if someone had taken a wild wolf's head an planted it on a bodybuilder's torso. Then added wolf feet. And claws. Oh, and fangs too.

The once-Liam creature hunches over and raises its muzzle to the sky, sniffing the air. His head slowly tilts back down, facing our little huddled group.

"Should we run?" I hear Emma whisper somewhere behind me.

 _Easy for you to say_ , I think.

As if on cue, wolf-Liam places his massive clawed hands on the ground starts sprinting at us on all fours. He doesn't make it far before he trips and rolls over, clutching his ears. He whines and kicks the ground.

"Agent Lycan, get a hold of yourself!" Myra shouts. Her thumb is blessed down on a button on the black box.

Liam starts to get up, his tail drooping and his ears flat against his wolf skull. He snarls at Myra, and starts prowling around her in a slow circle.

"Liam, control," Myra says softly but firmly. It doesn't seem to work. Liam stands on his hind paws and slashes the air in front of him, aimed in Myra's direction.

The agent jumps back and holds down the button on the little black box. Liam howls and covers his ears, pawing at them to try and block the sound that only he can hear. When the noise continues, Liam-wolf whines and lays down. He sits still for a minute before starting to change back. His claws retract, his bones shrink, and his muscles deflate until all that's left is a naked teenage boy lying in the grass. I take off my jacket and run to Liam, who appears to be unconscious. He stirs when he hears me coming, but then he realizes he is in the nude. I toss my black athletic jacket to him, and he nods in gratitude, his cheeks a bright red color and his normally floppy, contained white hair is now sticking up everywhere.

Myra hovers over Liam and helps him up. She appears to be a little frazzled, her normally immaculate black hair has fallen out of its precise bun and her glasses are askew. She seems unharmed however. Liam wraps my jacket around his waist like some sort of dejected kilt, and wanders over to the ruins of his sweatshirt and jeans. Apparently nothing is salvageable, so he prowls back to the rest of the group half naked and shivering. Dante offers his jacket as well, but Liam stiffly refuses, hugging his thin arms around his pasty white chest.

"Ehm," Myra coughs to get our attention. "Despite our string of... complications, we shall continue training as planned. Agent Risen, I believe you are up."

Kasper nods and takes her place in the center of the grassy clearing.

"What do you want me to do?" She asks Myra, looking around as if expecting some kind of target of objective to use her powers against.

"We have a fairly decent comprehension of your abilities Miss Risen. We believe that you are not only able to levitate or crush other objects, we also theorize that you may be able to make yourself hover. Please try and concentrate on that, but be careful not to crush yourself," Myra warns, tossing her undone curls over her shoulder.

Kasper looks concerned by that last comment, but she doesn't question it. Instead, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply. After almost a minute, I think that Kasper isn't able to complete her task, but I am proven wrong when she literally begins to lift off the ground. Her toes are only a few centimeters from the dead leaves and brown grass, but she is still floating, which is more than I can do.

"Very good Kasper. You are dismissed for now. Tomorrow we shall see if we can take you to the next level," Myra commends. "Mr. Sanders? Would you like to go next?"

 _No_ , I think, _I would not like to go next_. I know I have to though, so I trudge to the center of the clearing. My arms are chilly now that I have no jacket. It doesn't help that I'm wearing a thin short sleeved jogging shirt either.

"Do you have a code name selected yet Mr. Sanders?" Myra inquires casually, as if she wasn't attacked by a werewolf only ten minutes ago.

"Uh, I think so. I want to be called 'Nightingale'," I reply. It came to me a few nights ago while I was outside. I wanted a name that wasn't scary in itself. A sort of peaceful name that had a hint of mystery. And nightingales are my favorite birds; nocturnal and small, kind of like me.

"Very well Agent Nightingale. As it stands, we have no way to measure your psychic abilities without volunteering a human test subject. I am sure that we are mutually against subjecting a human civilian to seeing their worst fears. Instead, today we will try to trigger your defensive shielding abilities. Now then, I will toss this ball at you," Myra holds up a neon tennis ball. "You will block yourself from being hit by the tennis ball with your force shield, and your force shield alone. You are not permitted to catch the ball. If you catch it, I will have Agent Blindwalker constrain your arms behind your back."

"Wonderful," I mutter.

"What was that?"

"I said 'I'm ready'," I lie. The tennis ball hits me on the cheek before I'm even paying attention. "What the hell?"

"Focus Agent Nightingale." I toss Myra the ball, who immediately throws it right back towards my face. This time it bounces off my cheekbone, dangerously close to my eye.

She throws it twice more, and all I can think of is how painful this is, as well as how stupid. The third time I throw up my arm to block the ball from smashing my nose. Kaishi is called over, and he holds my hands behind my back, although he whispers apologies.

Myra throws it especially hard this time, and I know it's flying straight for my face, when all of the sudden, it bounces off some invisible obstacle two feet away. My shields worked!

"Very nicely done! Now Agent Blindwalker, I will have you take Nightingale's place so you may begin your training."

I rub my sore cheek and join the others at the edge of the clearing. Myra throws the ball at Kaishi, who in turn bats it away.

 _Not fair!_ I scream in my head, but then I remember that Kai _is_ blind.

Comrade is called up last, although Myra comments that as Serik-Zauresh has been with the Department longest, she has the most experience with her powers. Comrade is instructed to jump around a little, perform a series of complicated combat procedures, then is let off the hook. We are all dismissed to lunch, but I can already tell nobody feels like eating. Today has been more of a defeat than anything. Despite the fact that some people excelled with their abilities, most of us are barely able to control then, much less benefit from them. We are horribly unprepared for this mission. When I asked if we could could postpone the mission, Myra replied that this would be our only chance. Apparently there will be an important gala of some sort in one of F.E.A.R.'s public buildings in New York, so most of the criminal organization's guards and company heads will be occupied there. Apparently someone at F.E.A.R. caught wind of some attack on the Rand Corp Building by a team of mutants called the Challengers, so the higher-ups did not wish to suffer the same fate.

The rest of the day trudges by in a disappointing blur, from lunch to school studies, from school studies to free time, from free time to dinner, and finally from dinner to bed. I lay awake for a few hours, anticipation and worry clawing in my chest. How did I end up in some secret war with a criminal organization? I was just a nobody, a high schooler, another face in the crowd. Now I'm surrounded by the strongest and greatest teenagers in history, getting ready to break into the headquarters of a terrorist cell.

How did I get here?

—~—~—

"Bad dog! Bad! Sit! There we go, that is better... Dante! Stop trying to pet Liam!" Comrade commands in her thick Sokovian accent.

"But he looks so fluffy..."

"Liam will bite hand. He is not 'fluffy'," Comrade spits incredulously. The mock wounded look on Dante's face makes her laugh though, so I know there is no bad blood between the two.

For the past week we have each been helping each other control our powers, whether that be in the form of throwing dodgeballs at my face or practicing yoga with Dante so he can focus on restraining his abilities. Now, only two days before our official mission, everyone is taking a part in keeping Liam from tearing our heads off. A few days ago, the albino boy almost slashed Kaishi in half. Ever since, we have been especially careful when dealing with the Liam in his wolf form. Looking at today, it seems we have made some progress. Well, Serik-Zauresh has made some progress. The rest of us have been watching, or in Dante's case, instigating.

Liam sits on his haunches in wolf form with Comrade only a few feet away. She holds the black sound box in her right hand, which we have collectively agreed to call the BeeperBox. Comrade gets Liam's attention and gives him a series of commands. If he disobeys, or otherwise tries to attack one of us, she blasts the wolf-boy with the BeeperBox. So far it has been working great, even with Dante trying to pet Liam's tail.

"Special Agents, you are required in the Hub in ten minutes. That is all," Myra commands over Kaishi's walkie-talkie.

"Hey, we have to be at the Hub in ten," Kai calls to Comrade. She nods, then presses and holds the button on the BeeperBox. Liam howls in discomfort before shrinking back down to human size. Unfortunately we haven't been able to fix the no-clothing part yet, so Liam now sits nude once again in the grass. Not that he minds anymore. He has a decent athletic physique, despite being a little on the thin side. Comrade tosses Liam some jeans and underwear and the rest of us turn around to give the boy some privacy. Once he's finished, we all make our way to the Hub.

Myra stands beneath the huge monitor in the command room, and this time we aren't alone. Agents occupy almost every computer station in the room; reviewing tapes, typing documents, or discussing strategies.

"Ah, there you are. Mr. A has instructed me to take you all to the armory. It is only a short walk from the Hub, so if you all will follow me." Myra leads us back out of the Hub and down the hall.

"I didn't know we had an armory," Dante remarks as we walk.

"It's secret to most agents. Only field agents and those with special permissions are given access. Otherwise that room would be too dangerous in the wrong hands," Myra says, pulling a keycard out of her handheld purse. We reach a sealed, unmarked door, by which is mounted a control panel. Myra swipes her card and the door opens with a pressurized _hiss_.

We walk down an entirely white hallway; white floors, ceiling, and walls. The hallway rounds a corner before opening into a large room filled to the brim with weaponry and glowing with a sanitary white light. Every wall contains a rack of weapons from guns to knives. On several counters in the center of the room lay other oddities: mechanized wings, pairs of bug-eyed goggles, and even some ancient artifacts seemingly from Egypt and Scandinavia. To the left of our little group stands a row of mannequins bedecked in varying suits and armors. Mr. A inspects one of the suits before realizing we have entered.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" He asks, taking us all in.

"What exactly are they?" I ask, furrowing a brow in confusion.

Mr. A gestures towards the mannequins. "They are your suits, your uniforms for combat. They are each individually designed to fit your combat needs. Serik-Zauresh, this is yours." He points the the first suit in the row.

It is a tight black top of some kind of nylon reinforced with rubber, as well as a matching pair of running pants. There's a holstered belt around the hip, and black fingerless gloves on the mannequin's hands.

"I only take gloves and belt," Comrade replies without a second glance.

"I suggest you wear the entire suit. For your own saf–"

"No suit," Comrade interrupts. "Only holster and gloves."

Mr. A sighs and throws up his hands in defeat. "Very well. Moving on. This will be yours, Liam." He points to a black hooded vest. The hood is made of some silvery material, and it comes with pants and a belt to match.

"This entire uniform is designed to grow as you do. When you shift into your wolf form, you will not need to worry about ruining this suit. Well, in theory at least."

Liam gives a nod of approval, smirking his signature smirk at his new uniform.

"The next is Kasper's. This shirt is made of a very breathable fabric, but by itself is not very protective. That is why we will be supporting it with this durable modified leather jacket. We felt that you would also appreciate freer mobility in the legs, so we opted for an ankle cut. The gloves and goggles are optional, of course, but for this type of mission, the more of your body we cover in black, the better." Mr. A smiles at Kasper, already seeing that she would enjoy her suit.

"Kyle's is next," Mr. A continues, pointing to a mannequin that is roughly my size. The torso is covered by a baggy tunic of some sort in black, covered by a black hooded shawl. The sleeves of the tunic end a little past the elbows. Covering the legs are black cargo pants tucked into ankle-length boots. "As you can see, your uniform is tailored more for speed and stealth than for frontal combat. We took two things into account when making it. Firstly, your abilities are more suited towards defense, so it would be pointless to burden you with armor of any sort. Secondly, you have showed great advancements in speed and agility over your stay with us, and such a costume is perfect for your skill-set."

"Now Kaishi's was designed to allow a full range of movement and to assure maximum defense." Kaishi's suit consists of a black armored vest, much like a set of sleeveless motorcycle armor. The pants are also lightly armored and tucked into combat boots. "This vest should withstand even most bullets from a proper distance. It is both water and fireproof as well."

"We styled Emma's after general running gear in order to bolster her movement and speed, yet we tried to maintain a defensive exterior. The jacket should protect against superficial wounds while the blue tank top can also provide slight protection."

"Last but not least we have Dante's." Dante's mannequin wears an armored suit similar to Kaishi's, save for the heavy duty gloves. I assume they are to amplify and control Dante's abilities, though I can't be certain. A belt around the waist holds what appears to be an extra set of gloves, as well as a clear compartment which looks like it holds goggles or sunglasses. "The gloves will protect you from absorbing too much energy, while the glasses should aid in night vision. Your armor is very much like Kaishi's as you will both be doing the brunt of the hand-to-hand combat. Now then, are we all satisfied? Tomorrow you will train in these uniforms to break them in. For now, you all are dismissed.

 **XxXxXxX**

 **Everyone's lookin' good, huh? I hope you guys liked this chapter, although it kind of skipped around a lot. Next chapter will hold a lot of surprises, so watch out! If you have any suggestions, critiques, or comments for this story, please review! I love hearing from you guys! Also, if you want, tell me who your favorite ship so far is! I actually really didn't intend to have much romance in this story, but I'm kinda loving our blossoming couples! Well, thanks for reading!**


	10. The Mission, The Betrayal

"Does this suit make my butt look fat?"

"That suit makes your butt look sexy," Kasper assures her boyfriend, who in turn wraps her into a hug. The two lean in for a kiss.

"Can you two get a room? If you hadn't noticed, we have a mission," Kaishi scolds half-heartedly.

Our voices echo off the cavernous ceiling overhead. The hangar is twice as large as the gym used to be, and easily holds vehicles of every variety; motorcycles, jeeps, scooters, and even jets and huge armored tanks.

We are currently being ushered onto a parachute plane. The back of the vehicle is lowered into a ramp so we can all climb aboard.

Each of us wears our uniforms provided by Mr. A, and I have to say, mine is very comfortable. It even makes me look kind of nice, in a military-tactical sort of way.

I am the last one to clamber up the ramp after Comrade. She decided to go rogue on her tactical suit after all. Instead of the uniform black that the rest of us wear, Serik-Zauresh dons a ragged olive army jacket over a black t-shirt. Her jeans are tucked into old army boots. She does, however wear the belt and gloves from her original suit.

Once we enter the plane, we sit down in seats lined against the walls of the plane, facing each other. The ramp retracts back into the flying vehicle, and I can hear the elevator bringing us to the surface world for take-off.

Once the plane is above ground, somewhere inside the secret warehouse, it's engines start with a mechanical whir. We move forward, picking up speed until we are off, into the air and towards our final destination.

Everyone is surprisingly silent, though whether it be from nerves or the loud engine of the plane is questionable.

Personally, I'm flipping out.

So many things could go wrong. I could mess up in so many ways. Mr. A reviewed the battle plan with us at least two times everyday this week, but I still feel like I hardly know it at all. What if someone gets hurt? Or worse, what if someone is killed? Then what? Abort the mission? Keep moving forward? How could we?

Even though Mr. A assured us that security on the F.E.A.R. building would be limited, I still have such a bad feeling, like I know someone is going to get hurt.

As the plan stands now, all we have to do is escort a team of hackers into the building through a sewer system, break into the archives center, blow up the generator room, and slip back out before we are caught. Seems easy enough. Except for the fact that I'm freaking out.

Somehow, Kaishi appears to be asleep in his seat. I envy his calm.

Before long, the pilot radios back that it's ten minutes till landing. The Department was very clear on exiting procedures. Apparently we are going to be dropped off at some local airport, and from there transported by car a few miles away from the base. From there, we walk.

The landing isn't too rough, but it does manage to wake Kaishi up. I make sure I haven't left any of my weapons or other equipment on the plane before I jump down the exit ramp.

I pile into a nice olive jeep after Kasper and Dante. The seats are leather and soft. The cars seat about four comfortably, including the driver, so ours is full. I take shotgun so the couple can stick together. I turn around to see where my teammates have gone. Liam, Emma, and Comrade pile into the jeep behind ours, while Kaishi sits with Myra and other agents in yet another car.

The car ride is only supposed to take around ten minutes, but I can already tell it's going to feel like hours.

"You ready up there?" Dante asks, patting my back.

"Uh, yeah!" I reply. My voice breaks though, so I probably don't sound very convincing.

Dante turns to Kasper. "How about you babe?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. You guys remember the plan right?"

"How could we forget? We drilled over it for hours!" Dante laughs.

The driver gets the cue to move, and we zoom off, down a large road through the airfield, then out a gate.

"You guys understand that this is the real deal, right? We could be injured, or even..."

"We know. We're ready, all of us are. No matter what happens." Dante assures his girlfriend.

We sit the rest of the ride in a grim silence. It's almost unbearable, the quiet.

"End of the line, agents. I can't take you any further," the driver says, stopping the car.

"Ok. Let's go," Dante says. He opens his door and hops out, followed by Kasper, then me.

"Everybody out?" Myra asks. She is dressed like the other agents in a black Kevlar vest, and a matching hat and cargo pants. On her hip is a pistol. In that outfit, without makeup, she looks like she could be as young as Kasper. But there's something else about her. She looks like someone else I've seen before...

"Everyone is accounted for, Ma'am," one of the agents barks.

"Very good. We should get moving. We want to be in the perimeter of the base by nightfall, which should be in about a half an hour."

We move in a large group into the forest with the unarmed hackers on the inside and the agents on the outside. My friends and I lead the way, alongside Myra. Our entire group numbers about twenty.

"Hey, no hard feelings about me trying to pet you, right Liam?" Dante asks.

"I guess not. That doesn't make it any less weird though," the albino boy responds before drawing up his hood over his head.

"Hey, Dante, Kyle, come here," Kaishi whispers out of earshot of the others, motioning for us to come.

"Yeah?" Dante says when we've come closer. Kaishi's face looks pained in the fading light of the evening, now that the sun has set.

"I- I'm getting a bad feeling about this mission. Like a premonition. I get them sometimes, like some kind of horrible feeling I can't ignore."

"Should we tell Myra?" Dante asks.

Before Kaishi can answer, Myra stops the group. "Ok everyone. Absolutely no talking from this point on. In a few yards we will arrive at the infiltration site, so I do not want anyone ruining this mission on the account of idle chatter."

Dante shrugs to Kaishi and goes back to join Kasper a little further ahead. We stalk through the trees on the outskirts of the F.E.A.R. base in complete silence, save for our footsteps crunching the through the dead leaves.

The ground slopes down ahead, and Myra gives a series of hand-commands to the agents behind her. I don't understand, so I just follow the young agent as closely as possible.

A concrete circle protrudes from the ground ahead. A metal covering is placed over the protrusion. Myra waves two of the bigger agents over to push the lid off of the concrete. After some grunting and straining, they have it off, revealing a dark hole in the ground.

Myra pulls a flare out of her belt. She strikes it on the ground, setting off a red flame, then drops it in the hole. It falls a few feet before smacking into the ground below. Thankfully, a rusted ladder is bolted into the side of the concrete entrance. Myra heads down first, and I follow. At the bottom of the ladder I stand on a slim walkway that borders a stream of slow-moving water and waste. The smell is disgusting, like rotting cabbage and death. I pull my shawl up over my nose, but the stench permeates even through that.

Once everybody is down the hole, we get moving.

"Ugh, it smells like Liam in wolf form down here," Dante complains. Myra promptly shushes him.

The pathway ahead splits in two directions, but Myra points to the left with her flashlight. The sewers here are so dark and the side walk is so thin and the stench is so bad, that it really makes this whole experience less than enjoyable.

The end of tunnel comes into view under Myra's flashlight. Another ladder leads up a chute through the ceiling, presumably into the F.E.A.R. base.

"Shoot to kill, gentleman," Myra instructs, allowing the armed agents to go ahead. "And good luck to you, special agents."

Myra gives our little group a nod, then sends us up the tunnel. I'm second in line, following Kaishi. And I'm still flipping out. My heartbeat roars in my ears, drowning out any other noise. I grip the cold metal rungs of the ladder with shaky hands.

The room the ladder leads to is illuminated only by a faint yellow light. It appears to be some kind of boiler room. Generators and pipes fill the space, making a sort of maze. I can't see any walls for the machinery in the way, so I just hope Myra knows where we are going.

The agent is the last one up the tunnel, straightening her glasses before taking the lead once again.

"According to my research, the archive vault should be down the hall from this generator room. After the hackers break into the system, which will undoubtedly trigger an alarm, we will need to haul ass back here before we attract too much attention."

Myra ducks under a pipe and around a large generator, and heads towards a door that I couldn't see before. She opens it as slowly as possible, which makes a loud creaking noise. I visibly flinch, but it doesn't seem like anyone hears.

Myra waves for us to follow, and she runs out the door, keeping her body low to the ground. She pulls her pistol out, so I do the same. I've been practicing shooting a lot over the past few weeks, but my aim still sucks.

The hallway is dim, but not pitch black. The floor is tiled, so I have to be extra careful when I walk so that I do not make any noises. Myra pauses at a blue door at the end of the hall. She twists the knob and pushes the door open. This one makes no noise.

I find it hard to believe that there is no lock or swipe card needed to get into the room. Where are all the security measures? Isn't F.E.A.R. supposed to be some sort of high-tech organization?

The inside of this room is dominated by rows of computers, much like the Hub back at base. The five hackers we brought with us sprint to the nearest monitors and type away, planting whatever destructive virus they have into the machines. The armed agents form a defensive barrier around the only door, pointing their guns at the entrance. Dante whispers something to Kasper, who giggles and blushes.

Then the sirens go off.

A few of the agents call out.

"We're compromised! Should we abort the mission?"

"No!" One of the hackers shouts over the din. "We only need two more minutes."

"Myra, what's your call?" Dante shouts. "Myra?"

"We stand our ground. Agents, prepare for battle!" Myra shouts. She flips a table, knocking its contents all over the floor. She ducks over the other side.

"Almost finished over here!" A hacker shouts.

"I don't see anyone coming, but keep your eyes open!" The agent closest to the door commands.

I join the rest of the group behind Myra's table. Comrade, Liam, and Kaishi have their weapons drawn. Dante and Kasper argue in hushed voices, something about Dante wanting his girlfriend to run if things go south.

"I'm not going to leave you here!" Kasper says loud enough for me to hear.

Emma looks a little shell-shocked, but once she sees that everyone else's guns are drawn, she pulls out her own too.

"We're finished!" The lead hacker shouts. His partners gather around him.

As he speaks, I hear a strange clinking noise from over by the door.

"Smoke grenade!" One of the agents shouts.

The grenade starts to hiss, releasing an impenetrable fog throughout the room. Guns start to fire, flashing through the smog. The agents shout commands back and forth. Some scream as a bullet smacks into their body.

Liam rocks back and forth, looking ready to pounce, or more likely, ready to shift into his other form. Dante peeks his head over the table to try and make out targets in the fog.

The smoke begins to clear, but before I can discern anything through the chaos, someone grabs me roughly from behind, knocking my gun out of my grip, and presses their hand against my mouth. I kick, scream, hit, but my captor doesn't budge. The hood of my shawl is forcefully tugged off my head, and I feel something terribly sharp pierce my neck.

I scream and hit, but the strength seeps from my body. I struggle to keep my eyes open, but it's a losing battle. The last thing I see before my eyes close is wolf-Liam howling in rage...

–~–~–

"Wake up." Some voice calls to me from far away, miles away. I'm underwater in the arctic, the cold water paralyzingly my arms, my legs. "Wake. Up."

Something pulls me through the water. A voice.

"Come on. Up."

"Myra?" I say, but it comes out more of a slurred whisper. I feel like shit, my bones like lead. My head pounds in protest, but I open my eyes anyways. "Where... Where am I?"

"Safe. For now." Myra says.

I try to stand up, but I can't. I look down. My arms are zip-tied together and my legs are bound to a chair.

"Myra? What's going on?"

"First, my name isn't Myra. It's Sabrina. Funny how dying your hair and putting on glasses can fool a bunch of teenagers into thinking you're an entirely different person."

"Sabrina? As in Sabrina DeArgentine, the F.E.A.R. agent? You're the one who attacked the Department!"

Myra, or Sabrina, laughs a little. I look around the room. Concrete floors, walls, and ceilings, illuminated only by a hanging yellow lightbulb. It's like some kind of cell or interrogation room.

"Took you long enough. I mean really, you kids are gullible!" Sabrina taunts. "Here's the deal, Kyle. I like you. You're cute, smart. Not like those other kids on your team. As you know, my agency specializes in advancements in technology and biology. We are looking for ways to enhance the human genome. We have tried extracting animal genes, radioactive cells, gamma ray mutation; you name it, we've tried it."

"However, we haven't been able to replicate the abilities that you and your comrades have shown. Gravity manipulation? Impossible for our agency. That is, without a source or test subject it would be impossible. You see, we need you and your bratty companions. With your sacrifice, we could do any number of things! Cure diseases, create the ultimate super soldier. Advance humanity for the better..." Sabrina trails off.

"So your saying you want to test on us? So you can, what, extract our abilities? How the hell do you plan on doing that?" I shout.

"Simple. We cut you open, see what makes what happen. I mean, you are expendable Kyle. Well, that is unless you can cooperate. You are a very powerful individual. Such psychic powers as you exhibited on the day of the attack could destroy entire armies."

"We have an offer to make you Kyle. If you join F.E.A.R. as part of a special security corp, we will leave your friends alone. Your choice. I'll give you three days. Oh, and one more thing. Serik-Zauresh is in the cell adjacent to yours. If you decide that you do not wish to work with us, she's the first to die. See you in three days, Kyle."

XxXxX

Who saw that coming?! If you guys remember the mystery woman from the attack chapter, that's Myra/Sabrina, and yes, she is a double agent! How'd you guys like that plot twist? Please review your thoughts for this chapter, and thanks for reading!

P.s. The next few chapters will be very different than the previous ones. I have a secret surprise planned... MWAHAHAHAHA


	11. Ghosts That We Knew, The Deal

Three days. Three days until the death of someone I love. How can I accept? How can I refuse?

My wrists throb, distracting me from my thoughts. Both are bloody messes to break out of my shackles was not the best idea. All I can say is it's a good thing my suit is black, or the blood dripping all over my arms and legs would make quite a stain.

"I told you you were useless. Your team needs your help, and you get captured."

"I don't need this right now, Amy," I sigh.

"That girl is going to die. Your new friend. You must know that by now," Amy snickers. She sits on her knees, facing me. The blood still stains her dress, but her face is unmarked, with no cuts or shards of broken glass.

"She's not going to die. I'm going to–"

"You're going to what? Give in? Join F.E.A.R.? You're a coward."

"Well I can't refuse them! If I do, they'll kill my friends..."

"If you accept, they'll kill your friends anyways. You really are brainless. They aren't going to spare your buddies if you join them. They will use you to kill them!"

"They... They can't do that. That's impossible," I stammer.

"Oh? It's just as impossible as you kids having powers in the first place. So yeah, your screwed." Amy stands up and starts pacing around my cell.

"Why are you here?" I demand, craning my neck to see her as she glides around the back of the room.

"Is that any way to talk to an old dead friend? I'm just here to help you. I mean, it's clear that your new friends aren't coming for you."

"It hasn't even been a day. They could still come."

"And if they don't?" Amy comes right up behind my ear. "Then what?"

"I... I'll..."

"Exactly. That girl will die, and you will too. That is, unless you break out," Amy purrs.

"If you haven't noticed, I've tried that already." I jerk my jaw down towards my bloody wrists.

"Let me help you out. I can break you out of here and save your friends. That is what you want, isn't it?"

"You can't help me. You're probably just some figment of my imagination. You're... You're dead." I mutter glumly.

"Yeah, I'm dead. But I'm here now, aren't I? Would a figment of your imagination be able to do this?"

Amy pulls a kitchen knife from behind her back and slashes one of my restraints in half in one quick motion. She also manages to slash a bit of my already sore wrist, and I yelp in pain.

"So do you want my help, or not?"

"Fine. Yes, I want your help."

A terrifying smile breaks out across Amy's lips. She giggles.

" _Perfect_."

 **XxXxX**

 **Okay, that wasn't really a chapter per say, but it is definitely necessary information. Next chapter will be the big surprise, and I am probably going to post that one today as well. Keep an eye out, and thanks for reading!**

P.s. this is the halfway point of the story! Tell me what you guys think of it so far, what your favorite parts have been, and what you think is going to happen next in the reviews!


	12. Dante's Plan, A Nasty Surprise

_"And somebody laughs like it's all just for hell._

 _As though we could not be saved from the depths from the depths of the well."_

 _-Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree, James Vincent McMorrow_

"We ran. I made the call, but the entire time I couldn't stop cursing myself out. We left them. Myra, Kyle, Comrade. They were taken, the room was chaos. Half of our agents were gunned down in the initial attack. The others were only saved because Liam shifted into wolf form and smashed through the line of enemies streaming into the archive room."

"When the path was clear, I gave the call. 'Retreat! Back to the generator room!' I didn't wait for anyone to protest. Instead, I grabbed Kasper's arm and ran for the smoke-filled hallway. Liam was already charging full-speed towards the generator room as a wolf, so I didn't really need to worry about him."

"I glanced behind just to check if anyone was following. Kaishi ran hot on my tails, followed by Emma and the surviving hackers and agents. Shit, there were only five or six after the slaughter.

"'Kasper, press the BeeperBox!' I called. We needed Liam to be human if we ever hoped to get him back down into the sewers. Up ahead, wolf-Liam was clutching his ears, turning back into his human form. I lifted him up by his shirt when we approached."

"'Come on! We gotta get out of here before more of those guards come!"

I could here more bullets whizzing above our heads, even more baddies on our tails. Liam kicked open the rusted generator room door, and I pushed Kasper in ahead of me, out of the warzone hallway. Then we each scrambled down the ladder into the sewer, and down the disgusting sidewalk. The sounds of battle grew more muffled the further away we got, but I made sure we kept running. I couldn't handle losing any more teammates."

"When we finally got out of those Goddamn tunnels, there were maybe seven of us in all. We went in with twenty. It was a massacre. What the hell happened? We were told that we were going to be facing minimal security, if any! We ran into a freakin battle field!" I finished with a shout.

"Calm down, Dante. We need to hear the entire story if you ever want to help save your friends." Mr. A clears his throat. "Now please, continue."

"There's nothing else besides that. We ran through the woods until we got to where the cars were waiting, and that was it. They drove us back here, to the airport of all places. Now can I go?" I grunted. I really didn't want to deal with the man who sent us on a mission to our deaths at the moment.

"Yes. You are dismissed. Please send Miss Kasper in after you exit so we may here her side of the story."

"Thank God," I sigh. I make a point of slamming the door behind me as I leave.

Kasper sits on a bench outside the makeshift interrogation room, which is really just some kind of worker's lounge inside the airport.

"Are the others ready to go?" I ask in a whisper.

"They're by the cars now."

"Great. Let's go," I mumble.

As soon as we got back from the failed mission two days ago, we started planning ways to get our friends back. Myra, Comrade, and Kyle were all taken at some point during the attack. We know they weren't killed; they couldn't have been. We would've seen their bodies, plus Liam claims he might have seen Kyle being carried off by one of the guards.

This late at night, the airport is all but abandoned. Mr. A got us hotel rooms and special passes here, so we have free roam of the entire facility. I guess that comes with the perks of working for the government. Several night guards pass by, and I nod politely. They'll never suspect a thing, especially not that we will be stealing cars and breaking through one of the exterior fences.

"You ready babe? You know there could be no going back, right?" I ask Kasper as we race down the halls towards the airfield.

"I know. But we have to save our friends. Who knows what F.E.A.R. could be doing to the, right now?"

I hate putting Kasper back into danger, but I know that it's her choice. It's not like what happened with Anna. Kasper can handle herself.

We slow down a bit so we can creep into a hallway that leads to one of the garages to the airfield. Hopefully Kaishi, Emma, and Liam have already started the cars so we can hop in and leave without meeting too much resistance.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding when I hear car engines. I sprint to the door and throw it open. Liam sits in the driver's seat in one of the jeeps while Emma sits in the other. Kaishi takes shotgun in Emma's car, so Kasper and I jump in Kaishi's.

"Alright, let's go!" I shout to the other car. The garage door is already open, so Liam guns it. I can hear Liam's engine rev behind us.

"Hey, Liam, did you ever get a license?" I call up to our driver.

"No, why?" Liam calls back.

I roll my eyes. "Great."

Liam slows down as we approach the gate we exited on our first mission.

I hop out of the car and run over to the iron latch on the fence. Thankfully, there's no lock, so I simply lift the latch and pull open the gate. Liam pulls over to pick my up, then we're off through the trees again, headlights bouncing as we drive over uneven roads.

Now I just have loads of time to beat myself up over abandoning our teammates.

"I can't believe I left them," I mutter.

"You didn't leave them. We all left. We could have died, and you saved us with your quick thinking. So stop feeling guilty about it," Kasper says, rubbing my shoulder. If I could, I would have held her hand, hugged her, wrapped her into a loving kiss. I can't. This– this... curse... of a power prevents me from touching the ones I love.

"I love you. You know that, don't you?" And it's true, I do love Kasper. I love the curve of her cheeks, how her hair is never perfect, always messy in some way or another. I love her grey eyes, the blue streak of dye in her bangs that everyone overlooks, but I find insanely attractive. "You're so beautiful."

Kasper blushes and smiles, but seems at a loss for words.

"I love you too," she murmurs, almost too softly to hear.

She rests her head on my shoulder, and I lay my head on hers. The bumping of the car drones on, rocking me to sleep...

–~–~–

"So Emma, Kaishi, and Liam will take the hallway down to the right of the generator room, and will take out anyone they seem. Liam, Emma will have the BeeperBox, so go ahead and shift."

"Kasper and I will take the hallway to the left of the archive room. Kasper, if I tell you to get back, you need to get back. No questions asked. So, does everyone understand the plan?" I finish, looking around at my friends' faces.

"So basically we are going into an enemy's base with literally no idea where a prison cell may be, with no guarantee that our friends are even being held here, with literally no back up, in the middle of the night. Wonderful," Liam scoffs.

I laugh. "So everybody's ready? Alright, then follow me down."

The woods are hardly recognizable this late at night, and I almost trip on the concrete entrance to the sewers. It takes both Kaishi and my strength to remove the grate over the chute.

I go down first, rusted rung after rung until I reach the bottom.

It somehow smells worse in here than last time, like... like...

I turn on my flashlight to find my bearings, but as soon as the light flicks on, I gag. Bodies. That's the smell. Rotting bodies. Corpses of the agents and hackers that died in our first attack. Flies swarm the decaying infiltrators, eating away at their skin, their eyes.

"Don't look when you get down here," I call up, though I know my friends are bound to take a glance.

"God," I hear Liam mutter.

"They just dumped them here? Like trash?" Kasper gasps. "That's cruel. That's sick, and that's cruel!"

"We should keep moving." I urge, but I can't tear my eyes away from the grotesque scene. The bodies float in the sewer sludge, eyes wide open and mouths twisted in horror and pain.

"Should we check if they're..." Emma whispers.

"It's not them. They're alive, I know they are," I say, and I believe it too. They were a strong group. _Are_ a strong group. "Let's just... Keep moving, alright?"

I try my best to think of some witty joke to lighten the mood, but with the fricken dead bodies only feet away, I can't bring myself to it.

"The tunnel is ahead," Kaishi informs me.

"Alright. Kasper and I will go first. You guys follow. Remember the plan."

"What plan?" Liam asks.

I sigh. "Y'know, I can never tell if you are joking or not, Wolf Boy."

I don't wait for an answer, but instead I approach the next ladder. The one that will lead to the surface and most likely certain death.

I climb the cold rungs slowly, taking each second to prepare myself. I'm at the top before I know it, and then I find myself wandering to the door that leads out of the generator room.

I turn back to see if Kasper has followed. She stands behind me, looking at the floor. I grab her hands in mine for a split second, risking the contact now that we face what could be our last seconds on earth.

"I love you. I'll always love you Kasper."

"I love you too," Kasper whimpers. Her eyes are watering a little, but I know she's strong.

"Let's go then, before I start crying," I snicker to calm our nerves, but I don't know if I even convince myself. I push open the door, and jump back in surprise. A body falls through the doorway, one that had been slumped against the door when I opened it. He wears the masked helmet and Kevlar vest of a F.E.A.R. agent.

The fluorescent lights overhead flicker. Some appear to have been shot; parts of them hang from the ceiling along with sparking wires.

Now I'm just freakin confused.

"Guys, you might wanna have a look at this."

 **XxXxX**

 **Well, how'd you guys like this Dante-narrated chapter? Don't worry everyone, each OC will get their own POV in the coming chapters, so stay tuned for more! How do you guys think I did with Dante? Tell me in the reviews, along with predictions for the next chapter. Thanks for reading! God bless!**


	13. Emma's Eyes, Claustrophobia

"They had to have gone down this hallway. Look at all the destruction," Liam jerks his head towards the broken bodies of even more F.E.A.R. agents. For the past thirty minutes we've been wandering down the hallways, scanning for any signs of Kyle, Myra, and Comrade.

"If this base is anything like the ones I used to work in, the holding cells are probably below us. That's where it looks like this path of bodies is leading us anyways..." I trail off. Most of the lights here have been blown out, and the ones that haven't are flickering eerily, so it's very had to see just where we're going. "Here, I'll lead the way."

I take initiative and pick my way over bodies, broken ceiling tiles, puddles of blood, and sparking wires. I can't say I'm sorry for the F.E.A.R. workers, but this had to have been a downright massacre.

If I'm correct, the door at the end of this hall should lead down to the containment cells. I'm just thankful that most F.E.A.R. bases are set up identically, otherwise we would have a real problem. The door is already ajar and the knob is destroyed, confirming my suspicions. Someone had to have broken through here.

The door leads to a staircase that winds down, stopping at a platform with a door at every few flights of stairs.

"This way," I call over my shoulder before hopping down the stairs. I wait on the platform for the others to catch up. The door here has been forced open as well.

I creep through the open doorway. This opens to another hallway, albeit a dimmer and barer one. The floor here is simple concrete, the walls stripped of paint and other decor. The doors on either side are simple unvarnished metal. This is definitely a prison.

"Hello?" Someone calls from up ahead.

"Comrade?" Kasper shouts, her voice conveying all of her hope and relief.

"Kasper! Over here!" The Sokovian calls. She sounds like she is about three doors down. I sprint to her cell, using my abilities. We have no time to waist.

"Here, let me open that," Kasper says. She stretches out a hand and extends her fingers. Then she closes them into a fist, and simultaneously the door crushes off it's hinges into a little ball of crumpled steel.

"Comrade!" Kasper exclaims when she sees her friend.

The younger girl is zip-tied to a wooden chair, but looks no worse for wear. Well, except that her eyes are literally bulging in shock at seeing Kasper just crush that door. Oh yeah, I should probably close my jaw too; I was just so surprised at the suddenness of the action.

Dante pulls a knife out of his pocket and goes to work on Serik-Zauresh's restraints while Kasper hugs her friend, smooths her hair out of her face, asks if she's injured. Comrade is definitely bewildered, but she has no injuries.

"They just brought me here and left me. A guard brought food on the first day, but yesterday no one came. I heard commotion from cell next-door, but I don't know what happened," Comrade explains.

"The entire base is destroyed. The F.E.A.R. guys are either dead or knocked-out, and the lights are all wonky," Dante explains.

Serik-Zauresh looks confused, but says nothing. Once Dante is finished with her ties, we check the other cells for signs of life. They're empty.

"Well, now what?" Kaishi asks.

"I can try to track Kyle or Myra through scent, but I'm not really in practice, y'know?" Liam says. He cocks an eyebrow in a way that a find insanely adorable, but he catches me staring. I can fell myself blush, so I pretend to look around the hallway.

"It's worth a shot," Dante admits, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'll try for Kyle first. He wears that really girly cologne that makes me want to gag, so if he's around, I should be able to find him."

Liam raises his head to the air and starts sniffing around the room. "This is harder in my human form–oh! I think I have a trail. Yup, that's definitely his woman stink. This way."

Liam leads the way back out the hallway and up the stairs, then all the way back to the generator room.

"It's fainter here, but let me see if I can follow it any further."

I glance around at the destruction. The shadows seem to press in on my vision every time the lights flicker. It's really disorienting. I glance at a few of the open doorways, complete darkness on the insides, except– there! There was someone standing in the doorway nearest to me, a shadow figure, somebody watching us.

"Guys over here! Guys? Wha–"

When I turn around, my friends are all gone. Not like 'they continued down the hall' gone, they are 'gone' gone. Like vanished out of thin air.

And what happened to the hallway? The doors are all gone, and the walls are pressing in, too close, like... Like they're moving! The walls are moving in, they're going to crush me!

"Help! Help, someone, please!" I shriek, running to one of the walls and pounding with all my might.

"Let me out!"

I kick the wall, and it pushes me back. It's getting hard to breathe, I know I'm panicking. My vision starts to tilt, the fear making me dizzy.

"Get me out of here!" I scream, clawing at the door. Tears force their way down my cheeks, and I just want to leave. I run around the room as fast as my powers will take me, ramming into the walls with my shoulder until I can't feel it anymore for the pain.

The walls are dangerously close now, and I have to turn sideways so I don't end up a human pancake.

"Please," I whimper, my voice giving out.

I tap the nearest wall in a last ditch effort, and surprisingly, the entire thing falls over. I race out of the cramped space into darkness, kissing the ground and sobbing terribly.

Someone giggles in the gloom, and I see a figure in the darkness before it scampers away...

XxXxX

Another shorter chapter, but the next few will be like this, short little POV chapters as the characters face– well, I won't give it away haha. Give your predictions and comments in the reviews, and thank you all for reading! I hope you all are enjoying these characters as much as I am!

On a side note, after this story I am considering doing a sort of non-canon sequel before doing a real sequel to this story. The non-canon sequel will be set a few years after the events of Follow Me Down, and will take place in the zombie apocalypse. If you guys are interested and would like me to use your character from this story in the non-cannon sequel, let me know in a pm or in the reviews. Thanks!


	14. Liam's Other Side, Carnage

"It's fainter here, but let me see if I can follow it any further." I lower my nose towards the ground to try and find Kyle's man perfume again. It's hard to smell it out over the blood and bodies of the F.E.A.R. guys, but I think I can just— ah, there it is. Actually, it's getting really strong.

"Kyle?" I call down the hall. Something doesn't feel right. "Hey guys–"

I turn around, but there's no one there. Kaishi and Dante were literally just behind me a few seconds ago. I turn back around, and get the biggest shock of my life.

"What the hell?" I exclaim. I was literally just standing in a hallway; now I'm in the middle of the forest! I'm surrounded by dead trees lit only by the light of the full moon.

"What's going on here?" I demand to no one in particular.

I turn in a circle, taking in my surroundings. This isn't any woods I recognize. The trees are too dead, nothing more than giant withered trunks with claw branches. Dead leave litter the ground, blanketing the forest floor.

I hear twigs snap somewhere behind me.

"Hey!" I call. "Who's there?"

I can just make out a figure sitting in the brush up ahead. The moonlight washes over the person as I approach. It's Emma.

"Hey, Emma! Thank God I found you. What the– ugh," I clutch my abdomen as I feel a sharp pain in the pit of my stomach. It intensifies, the pain clawing at my belly like knives.

"Shi—oof," I groan, dropping to my knees. It almost feels like I'm shifting, only ten times more agonizing. Pain flashes behind my eyes like a gunshot. The knives in my belly start tearing at my throat, forcing my to scream, to howl. My arms crack and spasm, breaking the joints and re-growing. The skin stretches painfully tight across them, making tears well up in my eyes.

My back arches on its own accord, and my ribcage explodes with such a force that the air is pressed from my lungs. I know my bones are going to shred my skin apart if it doesn't start growing too, but I'm helplessly trapped in my own self-destructive body. Claws tear out of my fingertips as the bones themselves fan out and grow. My legs twist and shiver as my feet shred my shoes, growing into hind paws.

Next my muscles burn, slithering under my skin. They ballon out and destroy my jacket, my pants, all of my clothing. I can't even scream anymore; the pain is too blinding.

Finally, I lose all of my senses as my nose and jaw pull out into a canine muzzle. I think I am going to suffocate, and I almost wish I would, but my nose reforms and I can breathe again. I think the changes are slowing down when I feel pins and needles all over my body. Fine bristles sprout from my taught, sore flesh until I'm covered in a fine layer of silvery fur.

I sit, shivering like some kind of chihuahua, unable to move for the absolute exhaust I feel. I try to stand up, to move, but I can't control my body.

Hey, moron, I shout at my body. Move!

And I do move. But I'm not in control. It's like I'm a passenger in a car. I can see everything happening but I'm not the driver. I can't control where I'm going. My new body is running purely on instinct.

I remember Emma.

She's standing in front of me now, looking up at my face in horror. I'm so much bigger than her in this form. She looks so frail. Wolf-me snarls at her, gets down on all fours.

Stop! Not her! I scream. Wolf-me doesn't seem to hear

I'm completely helpless against myself as I slowly circle what I know wolf-me thinks will be his prey. I frantically try to move my arms and legs, screaming at myself to stop, screaming at Emma to run away, run as fast as possible like I know she can. She just stands there in horror.

Wolf-me pounces.

"Stop!" I scream, this time out loud. "Stop."

Someone laughs at me, a creepy little giggle from somewhere in the trees...

And I'm human again. I grab fistfuls of grass with human hands, I hug my human arms to my human body, I cry human tears. I haven't cried since I was a little kid, since before the operations that made me what I am. Before I became a freak.

But I'm crying now. I bring my hands up to my face to wipe the tears, but when I catch sight of them..

Blood is caked under my nails, staining my palms, the hairs on the back of my arms. The wet red fluids drip all the way down to my elbows, stain my naked chest, my face, my neck and mouth. I try to wipe it off in the grass, frantically rubbing at my skin to take it away. The tears come faster now, tears of regret, of panic, but I don't even care. The damn blood is everywhere!

Someone laughs at me from the forest. It starts out as a boy's laugh, high and joyful, a rich tenor. Then it stops, but when it starts again, it's a young woman's insane giggling.

"Come out and laugh in my face, you coward!" I challenge through the tears, but my voice breaks in my absolute terror. As the laughter gets louder, I slump back on my knees in utter defeat.

XxXxX

The next part of our OC POVs is over! What do you guys think of Liam? I have to admit, I sort of love Liam's character (and everyone's OCs for different reasons haha). Liam is so complicated and secluded from others, but he's so deep and he really portrays the innate struggle between man and beast. Plus, he's albino! That's so cool!

So yeah, if you guys liked this chapter, or if you have any critiques, put 'em in the reviews, and let me know about the Zombie Apocalypse Spin-Off! Thanks!


	15. Kaishi's Demons, A Quick Revelation

Being blind, I know what it's like not having one of your key senses. But this? This is madness.

About the same time that I realized I wasn't with the group anymore, I also realized that I could not only not see, but I also couldn't hear, smell, taste, or feel anything.

So now I am sitting here in the dark, trying not to panic.

I'm panicking.

I thrash my arms around trying to find my bearings as best I can. I can't feel anything, no walls, no furniture. Nothing.

I try to scream until my throat feels raw, but I can't even hear that.

But then something really weird happens.

I can see.

What I see terrifies me. I'm back in my home, after my mom died. Her broken body lays in the middle of the family room floor, a puddle of blood pooling around her head and torso.

"It hurts, Kaishi."

"Who said that?" I demand, even though I know exactly where that voice came from.

"Help me," my mother's corpse moans.

"Stop. You aren't real," I command, keeping my voice even.

"Oh, you're no fun Kai," another voice breaks in, seemingly from the ceiling of my childhood home.

"Kyle, you need to stop this. This isn't like you," I say, looking around my old home for anyplace he could be hiding.

"No, it isn't like me at all, is it? Normally I'm a sniveling, cowardly little _bitch_ , right?" Kyle says, still out of sight. "Well, I've changed."

I whip around. A thin handsome boy sits sprawled out on my couch, laying on his side with his head resting on his hand. I assume he must be Kyle. Even though I've never seen him with my own eyes, it only makes sense that he would appear here. Judging by the athletic, tactical look to his clothing, I guess he wears the uniform given to him by Mr. A, a black combat suit that clings to his slender physique, as well as a matching hooded shawl. He looks pale, almost deathly so, as if his skin were made of alabaster stone.

"Kyle, this isn't you."

"Oh, I know it's not. You could say I'm under 'new management'."

Kyle stands. I realize his almond-shaped eyes faintly glow a reddish color and his wavy brown hair and clothing blow around, as if caught in some kind of ghostly wind or like he was floating underwater.

"Why are you doing this?" I demand.

Kyle breaks into a sinister grin, his delicate lips curving up in a way that is really terrifying.

"Do you believe in possession, Kai? It's really a _liberating_ experience. Well, for the demon at least. I'm sure Kyle is enjoying it too though, don't worry."

"Leave Kyle alone, demon!"

"You're a man of many fears Kaishi, but unfortunately for me, you're also great at suppressing them. Maybe we should delve a little deeper into your mind, shall we?"

Kyle's red eyes glow with intensity and my vision fades to black again. I'm hit with a sudden pang of nausea. I try to walk forward, but I smack into a wall. _Shit_. I turn around and walk less than a foot before kicking another wall. I'm in a box, trapped and unable to see. Perfect...

 **XxXxX**

 **And now we see Kyle's fate. Kaishi shows very great self control and willpower by breaking free from Kyle's spell for even a few minutes, and I felt that was very characteristic of our blind Asian friend. So if you guys liked this chapter, review and follow! I love reading your comments and it really is a morale boost to keep writing.**

 **On a side note, I should be posting the Zombie Apocalypse sequel some point next week, which also means... Follow Me Down is coming to a close! How will it end? Will Kyle ever come back from the void? Will our heroes break from their fear visions? Will Emma and Liam ever get together?!**

 **Thanks for reading and God bless!**


	16. Kasper's Hysteria, Bodybags

_Keep your head clear! Do you want to die?_ I scream at myself. Sure, I was confused when I woke up in a sinking cruise liner after just being in the F.E.A.R. building with Dante and the others, but at this point, I don't even question it. There's only one thing on my mind right now: survival.

That's going to be kind of hard, considering I'm pretty sure I'm near the bottom deck of the ship. I'm not actually even sure how I know I'm on a boat. It's like I'm in some kind of dream where you know where you are, even if you don't remember how you got there.

 _Don't step there. Keep moving forward_ , I urge myself. The hallway here is dark, almost pitch black save for a few faulty emergency lights that flicker overhead. The walls are white, edged with some floral pattern and streaming water down the sides, covering the elaborate carpet below my feet. A few pipes crisscross above my head. Debris, like abandoned suitcases and discarded bags, litters the entire hallway, turning my escape route into an obstacle course.

The water fills the corridor at an alarming rate, pouring down the walls and pooling up around my ankles. Does this hallway ever end?

"No, she's really pathetic. I don't even know how I could have dated her in the first place."

"When I found out how scared she was, I couldn't stop laughing. She's so spineless."

I try to tell myself I just imagined those voices, but I know I didn't. They're coming from the rooms ahead.

"You're hot, you know? Like in a really boyish rebel kind of way."

"You're not too bad on the eyes yourself. Better than Kasper, that's for sure."

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"D-Dante?" I call. I try to tell myself it couldn't have been him, that this is all a dream, a nightmare. I hardly realize the water bubbling around my knees.

My call is met with horrendous laughter, some sort of evil sneer that echoes around the halls. I can feel rage and humiliation burning my cheeks. That is, until the frigid water reaches my waist.

"Hey! Help!" I scream, trudging through the water, tripping over the bags that I was so careful in avoiding earlier.

I fall into the water and completely submerge. I try to push myself up, off the floor and back onto my feet, but I can't feel the floor at all. What's worse is now I don't even know which way is up. It's so dark, and so cold, and I know that this is the end. I want to scream, to cry, but I can't. I have to save my oxygen, buy myself time to reach the surface. I kick my legs and pray I am swimming upwards, but after a few seconds I know it must be impossible. My lungs burn for air, and darkness presses in the corner of my eyes.

But I'm not dead.

I just float around, bobbing in the dark. And I can breathe.

I realize that I'm actually not floating when I open my eyes. At first, the fluorescent lights blind me and I have to squint to see anything. I feel groggy, but I'm alive, and that's all that matters.

I open my eyes a little, letting them adjust to the light. Whatever I am lying on is cold, hard, like some kind of metal.

Once I feel like I can see, I sit up. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying on some kind of steel gurney. Them I notice my legs. They're wrapped in some kind of black bag. A body bag. I let out a ragged scream, but I hardly make any noise after shouting in the ship.

I frantically climb out of the bag, breathing heavily. I stand with my hands on my knees, trying to calm myself down. I take a look around. The room is filled with body bags. I'm in some kind of morgue, the sterile tiles floors and white light stinging my eyes.

The body bag next to me _thumps_.

I jump at least a foot into the air and try to scream, but again only a hoarse squeak comes out. For some reason, I'm drawn to the bag. I have to open it, even though I really do not want to.

I approach the metal table with caution. This bag is zipped completely, so I grab the zipper.

This is so wrong.

I take three deep breaths, then I brave myself for whatever's in there. I unzip the bag as quick as I can.

It's Dante. The body is Dante.

I can't help but start crying.

"You did that to him."

I turn around. Comrade stands with her hands on her hips, scowling.

"You did that to him. And to him. And to her. And to all of them." She sweeps her arms around. The nearest body bags are all open. Kyle, Kaishi, Emma, and Liam are all laid out beside each other.

"You did this."

 **XxXxX**

 **Two more fear perspectives to go! So this chapter gave us a little look into the mind of Kasper. The poor girl is very self critical! Up till now we've only seen the happier side of Kasper.**

 **Well, if you guys liked this chapter, review and tell me what you thought. If you didn't like it, review anyways haha. Thanks for reading and God bless!**


	17. Comrade's Nightmare, The Furnace

There is nothing more terrifying than fire.

The orange tongues of flames lick the halls of the F.E.A.R. base, spilling out from under closed doors and filling the air with putrid smoke. I do not scream. I do not question. I run.

Of course, running from a burning building is only useful once you are on the outside of the building in the first place. Right now, I am effectively trapped.

 _Think Nökhör, Comrade. There are more exits than one in a building like this._

With all the smoke and blaring lights, it's hard to make out anything from all the destruction. I nimbly dodge around a flaming ceiling tile, careful to avoid the flames. I will not let myself get burned again, not after what happened at home. These flames are all to similar to when I was set on fire as a little girl...

I scan the room to keep my mind from those memories, memories of pain and fear. Right now, all I have to worry about is escape and survival. The heat of the flames smacks my face like a fiery wall, but I press on despite the watery tears in my eyes. Tears not of sadness, but of the absolute lack of moisture in the air.

I cough as I feel smoke filling my lungs. I stop, leaning by an unmarred wall to catch my breath. I rip a strip of cloth from the hem of my shirt and tie it around my mouth and nose. Hopefully I can protect myself from suffocation from smoke inhalation, even if it is only for a little while longer.

I press on, the fire burning a trail behind me. I can feel tendrils of heat on the back of my neck, but I don't dare turn back. To turn back is to die. Instead I keep running forward, hunching my back and keeping low to the ground to escape the fumes of the fire overhead. My throat and nose burn from the embers, and my mouth is dry as parchment, but with death pressing in from every side, I can't worry about any discomfort now.

"Hey! Open up! Help!"

Someone pounds on the door up ahead. I mentally sigh and sprint to the obstruction.

"Back up! I kick door in!" I shout. I don't wait for a response. Instead, I kick the door open with my heel. Big mistake.

I can't discern anyone in the room I have opened. That would probably be because the room is engulfed in spiraling golden flames. The leg of my pants catches fire, and I scream in agony. _Go out, go out, go out, ouch!_ I internally scream, patting my leg with my hands, only causing more pain to them. I take a knife out of my utility belt and cut into my pants just below the knee. I remove the burning fabric before it can cause any more damage, then I keep running. Only I can't anymore. My leg is burnt badly where the flames hit, and I know I am going to need to stop soon or perish from exhaust.

But that isn't an option. I keep limping down the emblazoned hallway, looking for any means of escape. My hands burn, and I can feel them blister where the fire touched. Everywhere is painful, but the fear, adrenaline, and willpower keep me going.

 **XxXxX**

 **Short chapter again, I know, but now that school has started up, it's getting harder to update during the week. I'll keep trying through! So here is Serek-Zauresh's fear world. I swear that the next chapter will be way longer.**

 **Thanks for reading and God bless!**


	18. Dante's Mistake, Afterwards

"Anna, I–" I choke on tears.

Anna lies in a hospital bed, hair fanned out. The heart monitor tells me that she's alive, but I know she's not going to last much longer. "I love you."

I grab her hand and press it to my lips.

The heart monitor stops.

"Nurse! Doctor! I need a doctor in here!"

I run out into the hallway... and into hell.

The hallway was obviously part of a hospital at one point, probably at least fifty years ago. The floor tiles are browning and cracked and the ceiling has fallen through in some places, exposing pipes and bare framework. An abandoned wheelchair sits at the end of the dim hallway, and somehow some of the lights are still on, flickering on and off precariously.

I rush back into Anna's room. The bed is empty. The sheets are tousled and dirty, the machinery outdated and rusty. A vase on a table by the bed sports dead roses, wilted and frail, as if a single gust of wind would blow them to dust.

"Anna...?" I murmur, now thoroughly confused. I'm startled out of my disbelief by some loud bang from the outside hallway.

"Huh?" I duck my head out the door way and look up and down. There's no one here, no possible way that anything living could have made that noise. I shrug and leave Anna's room. Maybe I can find some answers if I search around a little bit. I mean, I'm sure there has to be some kind of rational explanation to everything that's going on here.

Or at least I hope so.

After wandering the halls for the better part of an hour, I've found nothing useful, only empty rooms, decrepit hallways, and boarded windows. There aren't even any bugs or mice! I mean, if you're going for the abandoned hospital look, you have to have at least _some_ centipedes and spiders. But this place is just absolutely devoid of life. It's like some kind of broken memory of a hospital, not even a real place.

I take a seat on a shredded waiting room bench that was once lined with some kind of cotton cushion, but is now so destroyed that I could barely tell it was a bench when I went to sit down. I need to weigh my options. So far, I've seen no exits, not even any signs for exits, which is alarming. I suppose I could try to blast one of the windows open, but I don't know how successful that will be considering I don't even know what floor of this building I'm on.

 _Maybe I could... no, that wouldn't work. Or what if? Dammit._ There's no obvious way out of this mess, not at all.

"Why is this so difficult?" I wonder aloud, hanging my head between my hands.

Someone laughs.

"Who's there?" I shout, standing up so quickly I knock my bench over. My heart is racing a million miles a minute, and I'm surprised my voice didn't crack in fear.

"Come find me!" The voice sing-songs from one of the hallways that leads out of the waiting room. It takes all the courage I can muster, but somehow I convince myself to stumble over broken tiles and chunks of the ceiling after the voice. They could be my only chance of escaping this hell-hole.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" I call, and this time my voice does waver. I am thoroughly freaked out. The hallway is lined with industrial looking steel doors that look more suited to a prison than a hospital. Maybe whoever is baiting me hid in one of those rooms? Something about this entire situation screams _danger_ and _trap_ , but if I ever want to leave, I have to find that person. I nudge the nearest door open. Nothing but a broken cot without a mattress.

I move on to the next door. And the next. And the next; it's all the same. All empty. Maybe the voice was just a desperate attempt to calm myself, some kind of figment of my imagination.

"You're getting warmer," my tormentor calls from down the hall. This time I practically jump out of my clothes. The voice isn't clearly masculine or feminine, it's like some kind of entity of its own.

"Hey! Come out here right now! If you're messing with me," I threaten, my face burning in a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. I run down the hall, skipping over a collapsed gurney, until I reach a fork in the road.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

I whip around. I could have _sworn_ I heard it behind me this time. I run a hand through my spiked-up bangs to try and calm myself down.

"Where the hell are you?" I scream, spinning around to get my bearings. It feels like the shadows are pressing in, which I know is not a good sign.

"I think it's a little too bright in here, don't you?" The voice asks. As if responding to this, what little illumination lit the hospital in the first place goes out, leaving me in absolute darkness.

"Ok, you had your fun. Come on, this isn't funny anymore!" I cry, panicking now that I have no idea where to go.

 _"We lay my love and I..."_

"Stop that!"

 _"Beneath the weeping willow..."_ The singing continues despite my protests.

"I said stop it!"

 _"But now alone I lie..."_

"I'll blast you, I swear I will."

 _"O willow I die! O willow I..."_

"I'm warning you one last time."

" _DIE_ ,"

The singer screams the last word in my ear, and I let out a whimpy scream. Then I let out a blast of energy. The room is lit in golden-white light, but I can't see any trace of my assailant. I fire again, but I still can't see anyone. It's like he or she just vanished into thin air.

"Y-you shot me," a different voice whimpers in the darkness. I know this voice. Anna.

"Anna, baby, where are you?" I scream. As if on cue, the dim lights flicker back on, and laying right before me is Anna. She clutches a huge gash in her belly, blood seeping through the white fabric of her shirt. "Oh God, oh God," I murmur. "Anna I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"H-hurts," is all the wounded girl can manage.

I lay her head in my lap and sweep stray hairs out of her face. Her mouth works, as if she's trying to tell me something, but the sounds won't come out.

"Sh, sh baby. It's going to be alright Kasper." Kasper, not Anna, nods a little, her grey eyes fluttering. I lay a kiss on her forehead and she exhales. But she doesn't inhale again. Her chest is still, her face frozen in a look of peace.

"Oh—oh God! Kasper, oh please God, Kasper!" I cry, looking up at the ceiling for some kind of divine intervention. I look back at my dead girlfriend. She's still clutching her stomach, but now the blood has pooled on the ground under her—not the broken-tile floor of the old hospital, but the pristine white floor of the F.E.A.R. headquarters.

This is real.

"Such a shame. You two were so cute together," the voice from the hospital mocks. I glance up. Kyle is leaning in the doorframe of a room a few feet away. He wears his tactical suit, but his clothes and hair undulate as if there's no gravity around them. His eyes glow a sickly pale color. His voice is weird, like it's not just him talking. Like he's talking at the same time as someone else.

"You _bastard_!" I scream, gently laying Kasper down and standing up.

"I'm the bastard? Im not the one who blasted Kasper with energy then drained her of the last seconds of her life. That was all you, buddy."

"Wha-" I glance down at my hands. The same hands that I held Kasper with. I killed her.

"I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. It's not like you haven't killed your girlfriend before. Remember Anna?" Kyle presses, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"What is wrong with you? You aren't yourself Kyle."

"Wow, Kaishi said the exact same thing! No, I'm not myself," Kyle giggles. And when he giggles, something strange happens. It's like his body flickers and becomes transparent, and there's someone inside him. I focus on the second image, the person within Kyle, and I can see it. I can see a girl.

Kyle completely fades away and all I see is the girl. She wears a bloodstained white sundress. Her red hair falls into her face in crazy knots, and the pale flesh of her cheeks has been cut by something very sharp in numerous places. She would be pretty if she didn't look so, well, dead.

"Who are you and what are you doing inside of Kyle's body?" I ask, scowling at the girl.

"Right now I'm supposed to be Amy. She was Kyle's best bud before she died in a car accident. It was the perfect form to use to get under Kyle's skin. Not that any of that interests you. Long story short, I'm the devil."

"What do you want?" I ask, my voice breaking on the last word.

"Death. Insanity. Kyle's soul. You get the gist."

"Why? Why him out of everyone you could have possessed?" I shout, getting ready to blast the demon if it makes any sudden movements.

"He has such a pure soul, and such a powerful ability. Imagine what kind of damage I could do by controlling your fears? How unimaginably terrible that would be? How beautiful," the demon cracks an insane grin that gives me shivers.

"What happens if your host dies?" I glance around for any power source. I think I'm out of luck, but then I spot it; an outlet by the door nearest to me. I inch towards the door while the demon mulls over my question. Finally, I reach the outlet.

"Come now, do you think that will destroy me?" I can feel the energy crackling painfully through my body. If I absorb too much more, I think I'll explode or die. "I'm a demon, I could easily just revive the body. And you wouldn't want that, I guarantee it."

"Let's find out!" I scream as the energy zaps around my body, painfully charring my innards and organs. Before I can cause too much more self harm, I launch my arms in front of me and fire a blast of energy so powerful an agonizing that I'm blown backward onto the floor, paralyzed with absolute pain.

The demonic girl screams an inhuman scream, like a thousand damned voices crying out in rage and hurt. The beam of energy disintegrates her body, ripping the very seams of her existence to shreds. And then she's gone. And I'm dying, I know I am. I know I deserve it. I've killed four of the people I've loved most in this world, Kasper, Anna, Glenn, and now Kyle. And I deserve to die.

"They're over here!" I hear someone shout as my vision fades to darkness.

Just let me die...

"Kasper!" I wake up gasping.

"She is fine, sit down. Some guys from the Department are coming with medics. You'll be fine, just lie still."

It takes all of my strength, but I manage to open my eyes. Comrade hovers over me, her eyes red and puffy.

"You will be fine," I hear her say before I nod back off into unconsciousness.

"He has suffered minimal internal bleeding, some kidney failure, and a slight bruising to his upper thigh, but he should be out of here in no time."

"And Kyle?"

"He's been unconscious since you found him?"

"Yes Doc. Is that bad?"

"Only if his symptoms worsen or if he doesn't wake up. Our preliminary scans showed that his cognitive functions should all still be in order, but only time can tell.

"Thank you."

"I'll leave you to them. If anything happens, call one of the nurses or myself, and we'll be right in. Okay?"

"Yes sir. Thanks again."

I groggily sit up, feeling a sharp pain in my abdomen. Kaishi sits at the end of my bed.

"How long have I been out?" I ask, clutching my side to alleviate the pain.

"About a day. They put you under some pretty heavy stuff; painkillers."

I dread to ask the next question, and my throat almost feels too tight to ask it, but eventually I choke it out. "Kasper?"

Kaishi shakes his head and I let out a little choking gasp I must have been holding in. The tears well up in my eyes and I let them flow freely. There's an empty hole in my chest, a deep rooted weightlessness that threatens to swallow me whole.

"The others?" I force myself to ask. I wipe tears with the back of my hand. "Are they alive?"

"Barely. The things Kyle did to us in there–"

"That wasn't Kyle. You can't blame him for this." I scold, ignoring the throbbing pain in my temples.

"I know. I know it wasn't. I don't think everyone else even knew it was him."

I fiddle with the hem of my blanket, searching for words. Kasper is dead.

I killed her.

 **KYLE**

They told me it wasn't my fault. They told me that they'd cope with the pain I caused. They told me they knew it wasn't my fault.

 _Then why do I feel like it's all my fault?_

I'm the one who caused them to see their worst fears, the one who scarred them and tortured them. I guess they rationalize that I was possessed, that it wasn't really me. I remember exactly what I did to each and every one of them. How can I forgive myself?

I haven't seen Dante since I was interred into the infirmary in the Department. Emma told me he's in the infirmary too, but she doesn't sound convincing. To make matters worse, I can see the fear in her eyes every time she looks at me.

The door to my room swings open. I sit up as Kaishi enters the room with one of the doctors.

"How are you feeling today, Kyle?" The doctor asks, pulling out a clipboard. Kaishi leans against the wall wordlessly. He gives me a nod in greeting.

The doctor jots something on his clipboard. "I'm just here to perform a quick check-up, and if everything goes well, we can get you out of here."

I lay back and answer the doctor's questions, let him examine my vitals, my head. Apparently I'm clear, but the doctor gives me a warning to take it easy on the tv, video games, and reading. When the doctor leaves, Kaishi grabs a stack of folded clothes from his backpack, which he then tosses on the bed.

"Do you want me to turn around, or..." He trails off, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.

"I mean, what you see might scar you," I joke, before remembering that I actually have scarred people. I grimace and look away.

"You can't keep blaming yourself. You were fricken _possessed_."

"I should have been stronger. I let her into my body. I thought I could save Comrade, save you all..."

"Any of us would have made the same choice, especially after finding out that Myra was psychopathic bitch all along. Pardon my French."

I sigh. I know I could have been stronger. If I had just waited out a little longer...

"Is Kasper...?"

Kaishi shakes his head. I feel sadness tugging at the back of my throat like I've swallowed a stone.

"Her funeral's this Tuesday. Dante lost control while he was under, and... Well..."

I nod. "I— I think I knew it. In my gut, I mean. But I kept trying to tell myself that I was wrong, that she was fine. I guess that's what we all tell ourselves when we lose someone we love." I wipe at a tear as it trickles down my face.

"Come on, let's get you dressed. The others are gonna want to see you."

 **XxXxX**

 **Requiescat in Pace, Kasper! You were well love, and you will be missed! Thanks to anim8or for such a lovely and brilliant character, and I hope I did her justice!**

 **In other news, NEXT CHAPTER IS THE** ** _FINAL_** **CHAPTER! It's been a journey guys, but I hope it's been an enjoyable one! In celebration, tell me your guys favorite part of this story in the reviews. Thank you for reading, and God Bless!**


	19. Amy

Whenever there's a funeral in movies, it rains. One of my English teachers used to say that that was for thematic effect, that it symbolized sadness and tears. That's why it's such a cruel joke that today is so beautiful; the sky is clear and the sun shines warmly over the graveyard. I guess this is how Kasper would have wanted it though. Warm.

Dante has taken this the hardest. He blames himself for what happened to Kasper, but I know that this is all my fault. No one really blames me anymore, with the possession and all, but I can tell they're all really scarred by what I showed them.

Up by the gravestone, the pastor finishes the funerary rites and invites up those who wish to lay flowers on the headstone. Dante goes first, sniffling and whipping his tears on the sleeve of his black button-up. Just watching him like this brings a lump to my throat. I've caused so much damage.

Emma and Liam stand side by side next to me, holding hands. I don't really remember when they started, but now it seems like their together. Kaishi stands away from our little group, under the shade of a willow. The dead branches sway in the light breeze.

Mr. A couldn't make it to the service. He's been more than busy trying to track down Myra, or Sabrina, or whatever she goes by nowadays. I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say I couldn't care less.

The service concludes with a benediction, and we are dismissed. The memorial lunch is being hosted back at the Department, but I take my time getting back to the car. I feel like if there was just something more we could have done...

" _Kyle"_

I whip around, looking for whoever just whispered my name. Everyone from my entourage is leaving; Emma and Liam still holding hands, followed by Kaishi and Dante. I spin around once more, and there in front of me, kneeling by one of the graves, is the single person I've loved and hated the most in my entire life. Amy.

"What are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough damage?" I spit, folding my arms.

Amy doesn't appear to be offended by my words, but she frowns slightly. Her eyes shine with compassion and something else. Pity?

"The Amy you saw after my death was a shade, a demon posing as me to gain control of your body. Kyle, it's me. The real me."

And like that, every ounce of hatred, and fear, and anger is replaced with absolute relief. I know she is telling the truth. Amy stands and walks towards me. Her white sundress ruffles slightly in the breeze, her wavy hair blowing off her shoulders in red-copper ringlets. This is not the decaying demon Amy. This is Amy like she was in life; vibrant, beautiful, _alive._

She takes my clammy hand in her cool gentle ones. "Kasper is going to be okay now. She is in a good place. I'll take care of her."

"Amy, I'm so sorry that all of this happened. I'm sorry you died. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect my friends."

"There are things in this world that you cannot control. It was simply my time to go, just like it was Kasper's."

I shuffle my feet. "It hurts so much. Losing someone. Will it ever get easier?"

"Not right away. Over time it will." Amy's gaze suddenly hardens. "Kyle, I came here to warn you of something. There are dark days ahead for you and your friends; very _dark_ days. You will face more death and sorrow before your trials are finished. You will encounter new people, people like you and your team. Help them find their way, or you will all be destroyed."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've said enough. Go now Kyle. Comfort your friends, and remember I will always love you. Oh, and one more thing: don't be afraid to kick some bad guy ass for me." Amy smiles, then leans in and kisses me on the cheek. I feel a warm tingling throughout my body, radiating from my cheek down to the tips of my fingers and toes. I close my eyes, and when I open them, Amy is gone.

"Hey Kyle, let's get a move on!" Liam shouts from somewhere behind me.

As I walk to the car, I can't shake Amy's words from my mind.

 _There are dark days ahead_.

We'll be ready.

THE END

 **XxXxX**

 **And that's the end of _Follow Me Down_! Who has enjoyed this little adventure? Even though I know I'm not the best author out there, I'm glad to have worked with all of your characters, and I look forward to continuing to develop them in the future! I can't believe this journey has ended, but I can't wait for the next one to begin! Which brings me to my next point...**

 **The opening chapter of _Cindered Bones_ will be up sometime this weekend, so keep an eye out! Thank you to all who reviewed, and thanks for reading! God bless, and peace out!**


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